Ahead the governorship election in the state , the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Asue Ighodalo has described the election as a contest between light and darkness.
Ighodalo, the preferred candidate of the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki however urged the people of the state to vote PDP which he described as light.
“My people, this matter concern all of us. At this critical moment in the history of our great Edo State, the decision that lies before us this Saturday is very crucial;
“To choose Light or to choose Darkness! To go forward on the Pathway to Prosperity or to choose Poverty, Hunger and Insecurity.
“Choose Wisely!” the PDP candidate said on his X handle.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has fixed the election for September 21, 2024 as many political parties have signified their interest to participate in the election.
Barely few days to the election, not a few people have expressed fears of violence considering the dangerous rhetoric coming from key political actors in the state.
For instance, the governor of the state, Obaseki had last week described the election as a “do or die”. The governor said his party was prepared to match violence with violence, as the party’s supporters will not sit by while other rival parties are doing so.
Speaking at a political rally organised by the PDP at the Garrick Memorial Secondary School in Benin, Obaseki described the election as an existential threat, stating, “This election is do or die. If they do, we will die.”
His party, the PDP, had initially refused to sign the Peace Agreement, a document put together by the Gen Abubakar Abdulsalami-led National Peace Accord Committee, NPAC, to discourage political parties from engaging in violence during the election.
The Committee has other respected Nigerians, including the Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto state, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, among others as members.
The ruling party in the state had cited the deployment of Special Forces by the Nigerian Police as one of the reasons for its action. Governor Obaseki had disclosed that the Agreement will be signed by the PDP after the Inspector General of Police, IGP, addressed the fears raised by his party.
