Former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar announced on Thursday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has chosen not to sign the peace accord for the upcoming Edo governorship election.
The peace accord event, held in Benin, saw several political parties committing to upholding peace during the electoral process. However, Abubakar revealed that the PDP had declined to sign, citing unmet conditions.
“I met the governor yesterday, and he informed me that the PDP would not be signing the peace accord,” Abubakar said. “They had raised some concerns, and I was expecting the PDP chairman to address this directly.”
Abubakar added, “After waiting for him for some time, he opted to announce that the PDP is not signing and that they have certain conditions that need to be fulfilled.”
While the PDP state chairman did not elaborate on the party’s decision during the event, Governor Godwin Obaseki had hinted at the PDP’s stance earlier. He mentioned that the party’s participation in the peace accord was uncertain when he spoke with members of the National Peace Committee.
“The PDP has expressed concerns that must be resolved before they can agree to sign the accord,” Obaseki said on Wednesday.
The PDP’s gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, also refrained from signing the accord.
In contrast, other candidates, including Senator Monday Okpebholo from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Olumide Akpata from the Labour Party, signed the peace agreement. Their signatures reflect a commitment to ensuring a peaceful election scheduled for September 21, 2024.
Previously, the PDP had raised alarms over the alleged arbitrary arrests of its members by police, which they claimed aimed to undermine their support base before the election.
