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Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has declared that the upcoming governorship election that will produce his successor will be a do-or-die affair.
The Governor said this while speaking at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) grand finale governorship campaign held in Oredo Local Government area of the state on Saturday, September 13, 2024.
Though Obaseki has a few months left in his tenure, he's committed to securing victory for his anointed candidate and PDP flag-bearer, Asue Ighodalo.
Ighodalo will square up against 17 other contenders, including Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party in the all-important election.
However, Obaseki and the PDP have alleged that the APC is plotting to deploy federal might by working with police and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to steal victory in the contest.
To this end, the Governor charged the PDP supporters and all Edo indigenes to ensure that they troop out to cast their votes and ensure that their votes count.
“This election is a do or die. Do you want insecurity? Do you want people that didn’t go to school to lead us? Next Saturday is the election, you will vote for PDP and our next governor is Asue Ighodalo,” Obaseki told the crowd of supporters.
Obaseki, PDP refuse to sign peace accord
Obaseki's remarks come a few days after the PDP and its candidate refused to sign a peace accord for the Edo governorship election.
While receiving the National Peace Committee led by its Chairman and former military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Governor explained that his party and Ighodalo won't sign the pact alleging that the police who are expected to enforce the accord were in bed with the APC.
He claimed that the police have unjustifiably arrested and detained 10 PDP chieftains, including an LGA chairman, without sufficient evidence or valid cases against them.
“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.
“Unlike 2020, I am very worried about the developments in the state today. The party met yesterday, and we may not sign this agreement.
“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 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.
“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 added.