The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State followed in the footsteps of President Bola Tinubu by refusing to sign the peace pact.
Kukah, who is one of the conveners of the National Peace Committee chaired by the former military head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), were in Edo State last week to commit political parties and their candidates taking part in the September 21 governorship election to signing a peace pact, committing them to a violence-free election.
While other political parties and their candidates signed the peace accord, the ruling PDP in the state declined saying members of the party were already being hounded down and detained.
Speaking yesterday (Sunday) at an Election Security Townhall organised by Channels Television in Benin City, Edo State, Kukah said the PDP was following the precedent set by Tinubu, who, as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023 refused to sign the peace accord.
“What is also very interesting is that the current president, when he was a presidential candidate, did not sign; it wasn’t our fault that the political opposition didn’t take advantage of it.
“It’s a pity, but we are not going to take anybody to court for not signing the peace accord. The only thing it does to you as a candidate is that it sends a wrong signal which can be very easily exploited by the opposition,” Kukah said.
The clergyman emphasised the committee cannot force any candidate to sign a pact.
“The National Peace Committee, what we do is not in the Electoral Act, it’s not law; it’s moral. You can’t compel people to fall in love or love their neighbours.”
“If you go back to the 2019 election, the presidential candidate for the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was not there to sign the Peace Accord. And, of course, the opposition went to town, which is what it ought to be, and the next day, he (Atiku) turned up to sign,” he added.
Recall that on Wednesday September 11, the governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki who is the leader of the PDP in the state, told Abubakar at a meeting that the party would not sign the peace deal.
He said leaders of the party in the state went into hiding after the inspector general of police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun came into the state and obtained a court warrant to arrest 60 of their members.
“As we speak, there are about 10 in detention in Abuja without trial. Two days ago they came to pick up a local government chairperson. This man (the chairperson) was attacked and shot at. He reported and the police said he should come and give evidence and he went, they arrested him as we speak he’s in Abuja.
“I say even if offences were committed in Edo State, why won’t you charge them for the offences and put them on trial here? Why take them to Abuja” he queried.
The governor accused Egbetokun of undermining his office as the chief security officer of Edo State.
“And for me, my role as the chief security officer is being made nonsense of by the IGP because I heard the chairperson was arrested and I called the commissioner (of police). I say I understand this has happened, if there is anything let me know. He said I will come back to you, sir.
“He ignored me, he didn’t say anything the next morning by 4 a.m., he moved that person to Abuja and as we speak they are all there.”
“Even if an offence has been committed in Edo State, why will you not charge the offenders and try them here in the state? Why take them to Abuja? Are the offences of high treason? Why not charge them to court?
“The IGP’s office came in, issued a warrant to arrest 60 PDP supporters, driving all our leaders into hiding. My role as Chief Security Officer of the state is being made nonsense of by the IGP.
“I heard somebody was arrested and I called the commissioner to inform him. He said he will come back to me only to hear that he moved the person to Abuja. Tell me, sir, how can we sign a peace accord in this situation?
“Clearly, what they are saying is that it’s going to be a violent election and that they are going to use the forces of coercion and intimidation to win elections in Edo, whether we like it or not. That is the message.
“Now that the IGP is in town, we say until everybody arrested is brought back to Edo, and to be tried here in Edo for whatever offences they have committed, we have no confidence that the police will protect us in Edo State during the governorship election,” he said.
As a condition, Obaseki said the party would go to Abuja and sign the pact if the arrested PDP members were either released or brought back to Edo State and charged to court in the state where the police claimed they committed the offence.
On September 12, the PDP and its candidate, Mr Asue Ighodalo did not turn up for the signing while the other parties including the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Mr Monday Okpebholo, the Labour Party and its candidate Mr Olumide Akpata all signed.
Accord Party, Accord Alliance, African Action Congress, and African Democratic Congress, Action Democratic Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Allied Peoples Movement, Action Peoples Party, National Rescue Movement, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Youth Party, Young Progressives Party (YPP), among others also signed the peace accord.
