Just two days after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refused to sign a Peace Accord for the upcoming Edo State governorship election, Governor Godwin Obaseki heightened the stakes by labeling the September 21 contest a “do or die” affair.
Speaking at the grand finale of the PDP’s campaign rally in Oredo Local Government Area, Obaseki made a passionate appeal to the crowd, urging them to vote for his party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
“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 declared.
The governor’s strong language follows growing concerns within the PDP over the role of security forces in the electoral process.
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In a prior meeting with Abdulsalami Abubakar, the former military Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee, Obaseki raised alarm over alleged bias by the police in favor of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Obaseki, ten PDP members, including a local government chairman, had been detained without valid evidence, further fueling his concerns about the neutrality of law enforcement ahead of the election.
Obaseki also accused the APC of using federal power to intimidate voters and manipulate the election’s outcome, a claim that he said had evolved from speculation to reality over the past few weeks.
He cited the presence of heavily armed police units sent to arrest PDP members as evidence of this alleged interference.
Despite the mounting tensions, Obaseki has continued to rally his supporters, vowing to resist any attempts to undermine the electoral process and urging citizens to turn out in large numbers to vote for the PDP.
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