As the people of Edo State go out to elect the man who will steer the ship of the state for the next four years, there are concerns of violence, voter apathy among others in the state, with many looking to the major political parties and their reactions. Speaking to Weekend Trust, chairmen of the three major parties taking part in the election gave conditions for accepting the results.
PDP
Tony Azeigbemi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman in Edo State, in this interview shares his insights on today’s election.
Your party refused to sign the peace pact. Why?
There were reasons why the PDP didn’t sign the peace accord. We value peace, and historically, we have signed peace accords. However, this time, 15 of our members are in detention without legal representation, some for over two weeks. Their families cannot contact them. Under these circumstances, we cannot sign the peace accord. We stated that we won’t sign until our members are no longer harassed and their conditions are met.
Is this election strictly a battle between the PDP and APC, or are you concerned that the Labour Party may benefit from the contest between the two major parties?
I think you underestimate the intelligence of the average Edo person. They understand the situation. Common sense and fairness dictate that after 16 years of one zone holding power, it’s time for equity and justice. Edo people know the truth and will vote accordingly on Saturday.
Are you confident of victory?
We are extremely confident of winning. When we raised concerns at the stakeholders meeting, it wasn’t because we are afraid. We wanted Nigerians and the international community to understand these patterns. Our aim is to deepen democracy. We hope people will vote today for a candidate who will grow our economy, bring peace, and remove dangers from our streets.
As the incumbent party, do you believe your party has done enough to ensure victory?
Yes, we’ve done enough. We rely on Governor Godwin Obaseki’s achievements, and we’ve campaigned vigorously across all 192 wards and 1,519 polling units. We’re confident that INEC will uphold the electoral laws and let Edo decide its future.
Your party leaders have said the election is a do-or-die affair, which the opposition criticises as a call for violence. What is your response?
The opposition misunderstands our statement. When we say it’s a do-or-die affair, we mean it’s crucial for everyone to take the election seriously.
What plans have you put in place to ensure a violence-free poll and prevent voter apathy?
While we don’t control election security, we’ve urged people to come out and vote. Apathy could lead to harassment of those who vote.
Are you willing to accept the results, regardless of how they turn out?
There are established procedures for conducting elections. If ballot boxes are snatched or results announced without BVAS verification, we cannot accept that. However, if the BVAS is used and results are properly announced at all levels, adhering to due process, we will accept it.
APC
Emperor Jarret Tenabe, the acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) discussed the party’s prospects of today’s election with Weekend Trust.
The PDP did not sign the peace accord ahead of this election. How worried is your party about this?
We are not worried. Refusing to sign the peace accord shows the kind of party the PDP is. It implies that every party that signed the accord is committed to peace, but the PDP is not. We’ve already assured our people that we will conduct ourselves peacefully during this election. We’re not worried at all.
There are allegations, mainly from the PDP, that your party intends to use ‘federal might’ to rig the election. How do you respond to this?
What do they mean by ‘federal might’ to rig an election? I don’t believe our president would ever do that because he believes in the democratic process. If he didn’t rig the election that brought him into office, I don’t see why he would rig an election for anyone else. It’s clear that Governor Godwin Obaseki has performed poorly; he’s fighting everyone and has no allies left. He may have left the APC with some people, but now, those who followed him to the PDP have all returned to the APC. Even those who welcomed him to the PDP have come back to the APC. Now, there are only about three people left in the PDP—Obaseki himself, Barr. Osarodion Ogie, and Matthew Idruoyikhewem, who is their campaign director general.
So, where is this ‘federal might’ they speak of? They know they’ve already lost the election, and they are trying to create an excuse for their defeat.
There are fears that the election may experience high rate of voter apathy. What’s your response to this and what’s your general expectation?
Today, everyone should go out and vote. It will be the freest, fairest, and most peaceful election Edo State has ever seen. Everything is in place.
Is this strictly a battle between the PDP and the APC, or are you worried that the Labour Party (LP) may claim victory amid the contest between the two major parties?
In reality, we are competing with the Labour Party, not the PDP. The election is not between the APC and the PDP. As I mentioned earlier, the PDP is out of the race. It’s between us and the Labour Party, but Labour is inconsequential to us because many of their supporters have already joined us.
What plans have you put in place to ensure a violence-free poll?
We’re not the ones directly responsible for those plans; we are a political party like the others. However, we know that INEC is prepared, and the police are ready. On the day the peace accord was signed, we held a press conference to explain that we wouldn’t sign until certain conditions were met. But after listening to the Inspector General of Police and receiving assurances of a peaceful election, we believe that everything is in place to ensure a peaceful poll.
Are you willing to accept the results, regardless of the outcome?
Yes, we are good sportsmen, and we’re confident we will win the election. The only thing I would add is that the PDP and Labour Party should be prepared to accept the results as well.
LP
Kelly Ogbaloi, the Chairman of the Labour Party in Edo, also speaks.
Many observers see the Labour Party as a third force. What is your take on this?
Well, if anyone still sees us as a third force, they are mistaken. We are the first force now because those you referred to as the first force are no longer relevant. A political party should be known for its decency, and the other two major parties lack political decency—go and check. Recently, there was a shooting at the airport, and we know some political parties were involved. What can you call those parties today? In the opinion of the people, we are a stronger force than the so-called first and second forces.
Are you not worried that internal crises may affect your performance in the election?
This is an off-season election, not a presidential or National Assembly election, so the crisis you’re referring to has no bearing on what we are doing here. If you have been following the trend and activities of the Labour Party, you’ll see that we are undaunted and moving forward. That shows you we don’t believe there is a crisis anywhere within our party. If the national chairman has issues to settle, he should settle them. We are continuing with the election in Edo State, and we have no doubt that we will win, considering the work we have done.
The issue of zoning has been widely raised in this election. How do you think the voters will go?
Honestly, if you’ve been following the trend, you’ll see that no one is being overly sentimental about zoning. We were in Edo-Central Senatorial District recently, and the turnout of people and supporters shows you that the issue of zoning and the idea that it’s Edo-Central’s turn is only in the minds of few desperate politicians. We are not concerned. We are working with the people in Edo-Central, and no section of the state will be left out. So, we don’t think zoning is a significant factor in this election.
What measures have you put in place to ensure a violence-free poll and prevent voter apathy?
As far as the Labour Party is concerned, we will go to the polling stations, cast our votes, and we won’t fight anyone or cause any chaos. That’s our approach. Ensuring a violence-free poll, however, is the government’s responsibility. Voter apathy is not caused by political parties but by the behaviour of government officials, which is why we support the federal government’s efforts to provide strong security for this election. Apathy arises when people feel unsafe or doubt their votes will count. It’s not the political party’s fault, rather how security personnel and INEC officials conduct themselves. It’s essential that everyone acts in a way that doesn’t discredit the election.
Are you going to accept the outcome, however it turns out?
What I don’t agree with is accepting the outcome no matter how it turns out. If there’s voting, the votes are counted, and the results are genuinely declared, we will accept the outcome. But people shouldn’t be expected to accept a fraudulent result just to appear agreeable. If you win fraudulently, we’ll talk about it. If the process is transparent, then everyone will accept it.
What is your edge over other parties in the election?
We have a clear edge. The Labour Party is the only party that actively campaigned, while the others were busy fighting. We visited all the local governments three times. That gives us an edge. The people are tired and want real change.
The PDP didn’t sign the peace accord, but your party and 16 others did. What do you make of that?
It’s strange for a party not to sign a peace accord—it suggests they may be planning something unusual. I’m sure the government has taken note of this and is putting measures in place to ensure the process isn’t undermined or criminalised. To me, it’s unacceptable that a political party, from which the people of Edo expect decency and social order, would decline such a request.
Why did your party decide to support a candidate from Edo South when the incumbent is from another region?
The Labour Party isn’t about ethnic groups. We’re about “papa, mama, and pikin”—the father, mother, and child. Our focus is on the prosperity and well-being of families. Where you come from doesn’t matter in the Labour Party. The decision to be part of the change in Nigeria isn’t dictated by tribal lines. If I had conformed to tribal dictates, I wouldn’t be managing the Labour Party at the state level.
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