Edo Poll: PDP agrees to sign Peace Accord, as Ighodalo boasts of victory without Wike
…Over 2.2m PVCs collected — INEC reveals
Ahead of the September 21 election, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has announced that he and the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate Asue Ighodalo will sign the Peace Accord.
This comes as supporters of the PDP and APC intensify their campaigns, with the election just around the corner.
This decision follows a closed-door meeting with the party’s caucus on Tuesday.
Obaseki expressed confidence in INEC and the Inspector General of Police’s commitment to a fair election.
He also hopes for the release of detained party members, stating, “We are hopeful that with the courts resuming today, all our members who have been detained in Abuja will be released or granted bail to reunite with their families. On that ground, we will consider signing the Peace Accord.”
Obaseki commended the Police IG and INEC Chairman for their assurances, saying, “As a party, we are ready for the election and confident that the people will make the right choice by voting for our candidates, who stand head and shoulders above the others.”
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 2,249,780 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) have been collected by registered voters in Edo State, representing 85.57 percent of the total.
National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed that 379,245 PVCs, or 14.43 percent, remain uncollected as of the extended deadline on Sunday, September 16, 2024.
The detailed breakdown of PVC collection on a Polling Unit basis has been uploaded to the INEC website for the guidance of political parties, candidates, and the public. With 4,519 Polling Units in the state, voting will take place in each unit.
INEC commenced PVC collection from August 22 to 26, 2024, at the ward level, and later extended the deadline by three days following an appeal from stakeholders. The extension ran from Friday, September 13 to Sunday, September 15, 2024.
With just three days to the Edo State governorship election, supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have intensified their campaigns, wooing voters with grants and other measures.
Similarly, the PDP governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, on Monday, stated that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, does not have the power to determine the next governor of the state.
He gave his response to Wike’s claim that he told Governor Godwin Obaseki when he came with the PDP candidate that he would not back Ighodalo at the September 21 governorship poll in the state when he was featured as a guest on Monday’s Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said, “Sometimes when gentlemen talk in some kind of privacy or arrangements, we don’t voice out what has been said. But it is not correct that (former) Governor Wike said he wasn’t going to support us. That’s incorrect. But events may have overtaken his decision at that point and he is free to change his mind.
“I believe, as a gentleman, he would adhere to the word he gave me. But if he changed his mind, so be it. When he and I spoke, we deliberated on issues around fair governance, and how we can create a better country and Edo State. At the end of the day, we ended the conversation at a point where Wike said he would mind his business and Edo State is not part of his business.
“Again, if he has decided to change his mind, that’s fine. But the decision as to who becomes the next governor of Edo State is the decision of the people. It is not his or anybody else’s to make.
“Whether you are a governor or a minister, it is only Edo citizens and residents who have their PVCs who can take that decision with the support of God Almighty. I fear no man, I only fear God.”
He emphasised that he would concede defeat and congratulate the winner if his party lost the political contest.
The PDP candidate, however, expressed strong conviction that he would defeat his political opponents.
“Honestly, if we lose this election and we know we’ve lost it fairly and squarely, I will be the first to concede. But I know we can’t lose this election if there is a level playing field for everybody.
“We have related with the people of Edo State and told them what we plan to do for them. They trust us and will vote for us. All the polls and indicators (seen so far) support us. So I have no fear,” he stated.
Meanwhile, PDP chieftain, Austin Osakue has urged voters to choose good governance over stomach infrastructure, emphasising the need for development and progress in the state.
“Saturday’s election is a contest between light and darkness. PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, represent light, while the APC has foisted untold hardship and suffering on Nigerians,” Osakue said.
He warned against voting for the APC, citing the party’s alleged role in foisting hardship and suffering on Nigerians.
“The people should not entertain any fear of violence but come out en masse on election day to vote,” Osakue added.
On the other hand, APC leader, Terry Igiebor, distributed grants to young people and women, encouraging them to vote for the party’s candidates.
“The grant would help those already in business to expand, while those who intended to start small-scale businesses could start with that,” Igiebor said.
Hon. Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula, a former deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, also weighed in on the election.
“The only thing that should drive any of us to vote and to ask others to vote in this election is the development of our state and not stomach infrastructure that has made a lot of people congregate under the APC despite the devastation they have foisted on our people nationwide. Nigeria has never been this insecure,” Arigbe-Osula said.
As the election approaches, tensions rise, and political parties intensify their campaigns.
The Edo State governorship election is expected to be a keenly contested race, with both parties determined to emerge victorious.
The PDP Diaspora Campaign Council has expressed concerns over alleged intimidation of voters and partisanship, while the Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) urged INEC to remain focused and professional in conducting the election.
“We demand that political parties participating in the election educate their members on the non-negotiable need to keep the peace before, during, and after the election. We urge dissatisfied parties and candidates with the outcome of the election to seek redress via civilised means of engagement and refrain from provoking a breakdown of law and order,” CPPM said.
