As the September 21 governorship election in Edo State approaches, candidates from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and 13 other political parties are set to sign a peace accord in Benin on September 12, 2024. The event is being organized by the National Peace Committee (NPC), led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
This development was announced by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, during an extraordinary meeting with political parties in Abuja. Prof. Yakubu explained that the NPC has chosen to hold the peace accord signing earlier than in previous elections to allow for better monitoring of compliance by the political parties.
“Unlike previous peace accords signed just days before the election, this time we have decided to do so earlier to enable the Peace Committee to monitor compliance with the code voluntarily signed by parties, candidates, and other key players in the electoral process, including INEC and security agencies,” Yakubu stated.
The signing ceremony, which will be presided over by General Abdulsalami Abubakar, will be supported by other prominent members of the Peace Committee. The event aims to ensure a peaceful electoral process in Edo State.
Prior to the peace accord, an INEC Stakeholders’ meeting will be held on September 11 in Benin City, where the INEC Chairman and the Inspector-General of Police will address political parties, candidates, observers, and the media.
Prof. Yakubu also reiterated INEC’s commitment to a credible election by announcing plans to conduct a mock accreditation of voters on September 10. This exercise will test the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. He noted that voter education and stakeholder engagements at the state and local government levels are ongoing as part of the commission’s preparation for the election.
