The tiny hope for a peaceful governorship election in Edo State on September 21 was threatened on Wednesday when Governor Godwin Obaseki indicated that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might not sign the Peace Accord among the political parties participating in the election.
Governor Obaseki made this clear when he received the Chairman of the Peace Committee (NPC) and former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar (RTD), at the Government House.
Governor Obaseki expressed concerns about the possibility of the PDP boycotting the Peace Accord, citing allegations that the Police, responsible for enforcing the proposed Peace Accord, had shown bias against the PDP in recent weeks. He accused the Police of waging a war of attrition against the PDP while favoring the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a related development, the Edo State Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, has raised alarm over the deployment of associates of the former governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state and the Edo Commissioner of Police ahead of the September 21 governorship election.
Governor Obaseki also expressed regret in a statement he personally endorsed on Tuesday, September 10, that since the commencement of the electioneering process in the state, the actions of the Police had shown the security agency to be “one-sided.”
In his discussion with General Abubakar (RTD), Governor Obaseki expressed concern that the Police, under the influence of the APC, had arrested no fewer than 10 PDP chieftains, who were considered strong political opponents in the upcoming election.
He mentioned that the serving Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area, Mr. Collins Aigbogun, was arrested and taken to Abuja. Obaseki criticized the manner of Aigbogun’s arrest, noting that it undermined his position as Chief Security Officer of the state and violated established procedures, as no due process was followed.
Obaseki reported that he had reached out to the Edo State Commissioner of Police to ensure due process and that the matter be handled within the state’s jurisdiction. He lamented that his advice was ignored, undermining his authority as Chief Security Officer of the State.
The governor also noted that the state PDP chairman, Aziegbemi, had submitted two petitions to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) regarding the harassment of party leaders, which had not been addressed.
Obaseki questioned how the PDP could enter into a peace accord with an umpire that had already shown bias in favor of one of the parties in the election.
The governor demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the PDP chieftains who were allegedly arrested in a Gestapo-like manner by the Police and taken to secret holding centers. He argued that if these PDP leaders were legally arrested, they should be charged in courts in Benin City for any infractions they were accused of.
“You are very familiar with the politics of Edo State. You were here in 2020, and we had a very heated election. You know this is an off-circle election and there is a lot of attention.
“Unlike 2020, I am very worried about the developments in the state today. The party met yesterday, and we might not sign this agreement. This is the first time we are witnessing that the entity supposed to uphold and enforce the peace accord is now actively participating in creating a destructive environment.
“The opposition party in the state, the APC, has always claimed that they may not be as popular and didn’t win in the last election but promised to use federal might to determine the outcome of the election.
“We thought it was just rhetoric, but in the last four weeks, we have seen armed gang policemen coming into Edo State to invade, arrest, and take away PDP members.
“As we speak, 10 PDP members are arrested and detained in Abuja without a trial. Two days ago, a local government chairman was attacked and shot at while going home. He reported this, and the police asked him to come and provide evidence, only to arrest him. As I speak, he is in Abuja.
“Even if an offense has been committed in Edo State, why are the offenses not charged and tried here in the state? Why take them to Abuja? Are the offenses of high treason? Why not charge them in court?
“The IGP’s office issued a warrant to arrest 60 PDP supporters, driving all our leaders into hiding. My role as the Chief Security Officer of the State is being undermined by the IGP. I called the Commissioner to inform him about an arrest, and he said he would get back to me, only for me to find out he moved the person to Abuja.
“Tell me, how can we sign a peace accord in this situation? Clearly, the message is that it will be a violent election and that coercion and intimidation will be used to win in Edo whether we like it or not.
“Now that the IGP is in town, we demand that everyone arrested be brought back to Edo and tried here for whatever offenses they have committed. We have no confidence that the police will protect us during the governorship election,” Obaseki told Abubakar.
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On his part, the Chairman of the PDP in Edo, Aziegbemi, said the party was raising concerns over the involvement of Wike’s associates in the election due to the well-documented disagreements between Governor Obaseki and FCT Minister Wike. Aziegbemi described the involvement of these officials as a recipe for disaster, given their close links with Wike, which could influence their actions before, during, and after the election.
Aziegbemi noted that the Edo State REC, Onuoha, was a former Special Adviser on Lands to Wike while he served as Governor, and that the Edo Commissioner of Police, CP Nemi Edwin-Iwo, a close associate of Wike, was deployed to the state barely a month ago.
The PDP chairman stressed that the close links between these officials and the Minister meant that the election might be compromised even before it begins.
In a statement, Aziegbemi said: “We are worried that the election may have been compromised even before it starts. This is because we are certain that the officials responsible for conducting a free, fair, and credible election are close associates of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
“The INEC REC in Edo is Wike’s cousin and served as a Special Adviser on Lands to him in Rivers State. Everyone in Nigeria knows Wike’s track record and his conduct during elections in Rivers State. We will not close our eyes and watch him deploy the same tactics in Edo State.
“The current Edo State Commissioner of Police, Nemi Edwin-Iwo, is also a close associate of Wike. We believe he would not act in the best interest of Edo people or in accordance with the electoral act.
“It is no wonder that the Police have been acting arbitrarily in the run-up to the election. They have been targeting PDP members and leaders in recent weeks, with a rogue team arresting and whisking PDP leaders away to Abuja. We will not sit idly by and watch these men cause chaos in the state in pursuit of personal vendetta.”
The APC, which had earlier scheduled a press conference to address the matter and other issues, called off the event at the last minute.
An official of the opposition party, who wished to remain anonymous, told news reporters gathered at the party’s secretariat that the party decided to cancel the press conference “because of the events that have overtaken it.”
The APC chieftain noted that after the stakeholders meeting held earlier on Wednesday with INEC, the Police, and other interested parties, the APC was satisfied with the dispositions of INEC and the Police to be neutral.
“We feel that it is not necessary to address some of the issues now. Those of you who attended the stakeholders meeting this afternoon would attest that both INEC and the Police demonstrated their commitment to fairness and neutrality. There is no point discussing further with the assurance we received from that meeting,” the APC chieftain reiterated.
He added, however, that if the situation changed, “we will call you back here and brief you accordingly.”
