Less than two hours before the signing of a Peace Accord between political parties for the upcoming September 21 governorship election, the All Progressives Congress announced that it would not sign the agreement.
Addressing reporters at the APC secretariat, Emperor Jarret Tenebe explained the reasons behind their refusal to sign the Peace Accord.
He said, “For over two months after a police inspector, Onuh Akor, who was the orderly to our candidate, Sen Monday Okpebholo, was shot and killed along Airport Road, nobody has been arrested and prosecuted, despite claims by the former Commissioner of Police, Funsho, who told Nigerians that the command had the names of those who murdered Inspector Onuh Akor at the Benin airport.”
Tenebe further alleged that instead of arresting those involved, Governor Obaseki is keeping them at the government house.
He stated, “This 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 also claimed that the governor made inflammatory statements that undermine his role as the Chief Security Officer of the State. He detailed the various attacks on the APC campaign team in communities like Akoko-Edo, Etsako Central, and Esan West local government areas during their mobilization efforts for the election.
“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.
He also mentioned that several other PDP members have publicly boasted about doing anything without facing consequences, and that APC’s petitions to the police with names of suspects have 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 added.
As part of its conditions for signing the Peace Accord, Tenebe stated that the APC demands that the police take visible steps to declare those accused in the killing of the police inspector, allegedly being hidden in the government, as wanted.
