Ahead of the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, candidates for the poll, including Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and others, will on Tuesday sign an accord for peaceful election in the state, Daily Trust gathered.
The peace accord, it was reliably gathered, is coordinated by the National Peace Committee (NPC) under the leadership of former Head of State retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
- Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu should respect the peace accord
- Edo 2020: CAN calls for fasting, prayer for peaceful poll
A source at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the chairman of the commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, would attend the signing of the peace accord.
“The signing of the peace pact has been scheduled for September 15. Our chairman and members of the NPC will be part of the signing of the pact to commit the candidates and their political parties to peace before, during and after the poll,” the source said.
For proper coordination of the poll, he said the commission has deployed three national commissioners and five more Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to the state.
He said the commission had successfully implemented 12 of the 14 items on the timetable for the poll, assuring that the election would not be postponed.
“Unless we develop our National IT infrastructure, we cannot transmit election results electronically. RECs have no say in election result, it is the business of the returning officer,” he added.
Speaking to one of our correspondents, the Edo State INEC REC, Johnson Alalibo confirmed that the parties and their candidates will sign a peace accord during the coming stakeholders’ peace meeting.
