The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decided against signing the peace accord for the forthcoming Edo State Governorship election set for September 21. This decision was announced by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar at the peace accord signing event in Benin on Thursday, September 12.
Abubakar revealed that the PDP’s refusal is conditional, with the party indicating it will only agree to sign the accord if certain specified conditions are met.
“I met the governor yesterday (Wednesday) and he told me the PDP are not going to sign this peace accord,” he said.
“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 conditionalities.
“They said that after these conditionalities have been met, they will come to Abuja and sign.”
The state chairman of the PDP was notably absent from the event and did not offer any explanation for the party’s refusal to sign the peace accord.
Governor Godwin Obaseki had hinted on September 11 that the PDP might not sign the accord. He shared this possibility during a meeting with members of the National Peace Committee.
While the PDP and its gubernatorial candidate, Asue Ighodalo, chose to forgo signing the accord, other parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) with its candidate, Monday Okpebholo, and the Labour Party with its candidate, Olumide Akpata, proceeded to sign the agreement.