Edo Gov Election: Parties Still Have Chance To Sign Peace Accord – Abdulsalami Abubakar

By Ayodele Oni

The Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar led National  Peace Committee has expressed hope that political parties in Edo state which boycotted the signing of peace accord on the governorship election will still do so before election date.

True to its threat to boycott signing of the peace pact, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declined to sign the accord for the Edo State Governorship election set for September 21.

While receiving the former Head of State on Wednesday, Governor Godwin Obaseki informed that the electoral commissioner and police boss posted to the state to conduct the election are allies of the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesome Wike.

According to the governor, free and credible election could not be guaranteed under these two major stakeholders.

Former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar after other participating political parties, signed the accord, on Thursday, in Benin, announced that PDP had listed certain conditions under which it will endorse the peace accord.

“They had made some observations and I was expecting the chairman of the PDP to come and make that statement, having waited for him this long he chose to announce that the PDP said they are not going to sign and they have got some conditions.

“They said that after these conditions have been met, they will come to Abuja and sign.

He was however silent on whether the All Progressives Congress (APC) which had earlier threatened to boycott the event eventually showed up.

Eighteen political parties have been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to participate in the election.