The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced its decision not to sign the Peace Accord scheduled for today, less than two hours before the signing ceremony.
The accord, facilitated by the National Peace Accord Committee (NPAC) led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, was set to be signed by the 18 political parties participating in the September 21 governorship election.
This announcement comes in the wake of statements made by Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who, just hours earlier, expressed doubts about signing the accord due to a loss of faith in the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The signing was planned for 10 a.m. on Thursday. However, just minutes before the event, Jarret Tenebe, the APC Chairman in Edo State, declared that the party would not participate.
In a press conference at the APC secretariat, Tenebe provided several reasons for the party’s refusal to sign the Peace Accord. He cited the unresolved murder of Police Inspector Onuh Akor, who was shot and killed on July 18 along Airport Road in Benin. Despite claims by former Commissioner of Police Funsho that the police had identified the suspects, Tenebe said that no arrests or prosecutions have been made.
“The failure of the police has emboldened the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his Peoples Democratic Party to attack members of our political party at rally grounds and in their private business premises ceaselessly,” Tenebe stated.
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He criticized Obaseki for not addressing the violence against APC campaign teams in various local government areas, including Akoko-Edo, Etsako Central, and Esan West.
“In the wake of this very worrisome and dangerous trend, Governor Obaseki kept mute and refused to condemn the attacks as the Chief Security Officer of the state. Instead, one Odion Olaye, the Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress in Edo State, while in the company of Obaseki, openly threatened the country that, ‘Nigeria will burn if INEC fails to declare the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo as the winner of the September 21, 2024 gubernatorial election,’” Tenebe said.
Tenebe also accused various PDP chieftains of publicly boasting about their ability to avoid consequences for their actions. He noted that the APC’s petitions to the police, which included the names of suspects, had not been addressed.
“The summary of these episodes is the unwillingness of Obaseki to embrace peace and the refusal of the security agencies to guarantee a peaceful environment for the conduct of the September 21st, 2024 scheduled election,” Tenebe concluded.
To reconsider their stance, Tenebe demanded that the police take visible steps to declare those implicated in Akor’s killing as wanted. He emphasized that the APC’s decision to sign the Peace Accord is contingent upon this action.
