The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has assured former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar that Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Edo State would be peaceful.
He said that tensions had been high leading up to the polls until he called the two main candidates, Governor Godwin Obaseki and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to order.
The revered monarch hailed Abdulsalami, who is the Chairman of the National Peace Committee, for the committee’s efforts in enthroning peace across the country.
The Oba gave the commendation on Tuesday when the Chairman and members of the National Peace Committee visited his palace in Benin.
The committee had supervised Tuesday’s signing of a peace accord by Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu and 12 other candidates as well as their party chairmen at the Oba Akenzua II Cultural Centre, Benin City.
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Ewuare II said that he was not surprised because of the pedigree of the retired general considering the circumstance under which he emerged as Head of State of Nigeria and the pace he quickly organised the return of the country to democratic rule.
The Benin monarch further informed the visiting former Head of State and the committee that the political gladiators generated political tension to a worrisome dimension before they were called to order in peace meeting that brought peace to the polity.
On his part, the former Head of State said that the members were in Edo to hold Peace Accord Meeting with politicians.
He thanked the monarch for the initiative to hold peace meeting with the political gladiators in the state which set the ball rolling for the committee to take-off and progress on the peace drive.
Abdulsalami informed the monarch that they had earlier attended a meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for security agencies, candidates of political parties and other stakeholders in Benin.
He said they all agreed to abide by the peace agreement ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial election in the state.
Abdulsalami was accompanied by the Committee’s Secretary, Bishop Matthew Kukah, amongst other members who charged eligible voters in Edo to come out en-mass to vote for candidate of their choice on Sept. 19.
The committee assured the Edo electorate that their votes would count.