The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has refused to sign the peace accord for the upcoming Edo State Governorship election, scheduled for September 21.

Former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar announced this decision on Thursday at the signing event in Benin.

Abubakar revealed that the PDP would only agree to sign the accord if certain conditions were met.

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He said, “I met the governor yesterday and he told me the PDP are not going to sign this peace accord.

“They had made some observations and I was expecting the chairman of the PDP to come and make that statement, having waited for him this long he chose to announce that the PDP said they are not going to sign and they have got some conditionalities.

“They said that after these conditionalities have been met, they will come to Abuja and sign.”

The chairman of the PDP in the state was absent from the event and did not provide details on why the party chose not to sign the accord.

Recall that Governor Godwin Obaseki had previously suggested that the PDP might not sign the peace accord during a meeting with the National Peace Committee on Wednesday.

While the PDP and its gubernatorial candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, opted not to sign, other parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Mr. Monday Okpebholo, as well as the Labour Party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata, did endorse the accord.

Governor Godwin Obaseki has expressed strong reservations about the impartiality of the police in the lead-up to the elections, citing a pattern of bias towards the All Progressives Congress (APC) and aggression against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Receiving General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Chairman of the National Peace Committee, at the Government House, Obaseki alleged that the police have arrested at least 10 high-ranking PDP officials, including the Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area, Hon. Collins Aigbogun, who was detained and transported to Abuja.

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The governor claimed that his requests for due process and local handling of the matter were disregarded, undermining his authority as Chief Security Officer of the state.

He also mentioned that two petitions to the Inspector General of Police regarding the harassment of PDP leaders have gone unaddressed.

Obaseki questioned the feasibility of entering a peace accord with an umpire that has demonstrated clear bias towards one party.

He demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the detained PDP officials, insisting that they be charged in Benin City courts if necessary.

This development may lead to the PDP boycotting the scheduled Peace Accord signing on September 12, 2024.

The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) has come under fire for allocating funds to unrelated projects in its 2024 budget.

According to an investigation by civic-tech non-profit organization BudgIT, CRIN has earmarked N250 million for solar street lights in select areas of Lagos, sparking concerns over the institute’s priorities.

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Further scrutiny of CRIN’s budget expenditure reveals a plethora of unrelated capital projects, including training and empowerment programs in Ondo state (N148.7 million), health center construction in Ondo (N100 million), empowerment materials for women and youths in Rivers state (N100 million), women and youth empowerment in Kano (N200 million), classroom renovations in Rivers state (N200 million), empowerment materials and motorcycles in Osun (N100 million), and solar street lights in Lagos (N250 million).

This controversy comes on the heels of allegations by Senator Abdul Ningi, chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, that the 2024 budget was padded with N3 trillion in the national assembly.

Ningi was suspended for three months over the claim but was recalled on May 28.

The revelations have sparked calls for greater transparency and accountability in CRIN’s budget allocation, with many questioning the institute’s priorities and commitment to its core mandate of cocoa research.