Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has voiced concerns about the upcoming governorship election, expressing doubts about the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) signing the peace accord due to alleged police bias. The election, scheduled for September 21, 2024, has already drawn significant attention, with tensions running high between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
During a visit from Abdulsalami Abubakar, former military head of state and chairman of the National Peace Committee, Obaseki accused the police force, which is tasked with enforcing the peace accord, of siding with the APC. He alleged that police personnel have been involved in arresting and detaining PDP members without sufficient evidence, creating an atmosphere of intimidation and fear ahead of the polls.
“You are very conversant with the politics of Edo State. You were here in 2020, and we had a very heated election. You know this is an off-cycle election, and there is a lot of attention,” Obaseki said during the meeting with Abubakar.
“Unlike 2020, I am very worried about the developments in the state today. The party met yesterday, and we may not sign this agreement.”
Obaseki described the current political climate as alarming, particularly as it relates to the role of the police in allegedly creating a hostile environment rather than maintaining peace. “This is the first time we are witnessing that the entity supposed to maintain and enforce the peace accord is now actively creating a destructive environment,” the governor stated.
The governor also took aim at the APC, accusing the opposition of plotting to use federal power to influence the outcome of the election. “The opposition party in the state, the APC, has always argued that they may not be as popular and didn’t win in the last election, but they have promised to use federal power to determine the outcome of this election,” Obaseki alleged.
“We thought it was just rhetoric, but in the last four weeks, we’ve had a situation where from the office of the IGP, armed police gangs have entered Edo State to invade, arrest, and take away PDP members,” he continued.
Obaseki disclosed that 10 PDP members, including a local government area (LGA) chairman, have been detained in Abuja without trial. He cited a recent incident where the LGA chairman was attacked and shot at while heading home, only for the police to demand evidence instead of investigating the perpetrators. When the chairman complied, Obaseki claimed, the police arrested him instead. “As I speak, he is in Abuja,” the governor said.
