The Edo government declared Friday, September 20, as a public holiday to enable workers and residents to travel to their voting areas ahead of the state’s governorship election, which is scheduled for September 21 across 18 local government areas....READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
This move allows people to cast their ballots in their registered voting areas. The government has assured that adequate security arrangements are in place for the election.
Why Edo declared public holiday
According to The Cable, the government aims to ensure a smooth and peaceful electoral process. This is not the first time the Edo government has declared a public holiday for an election; in 2020, a similar declaration was made ahead of the gubernatorial election.
Joseph Eboigbe, secretary to the state government, announced the development in a statement on Thursday, September 19.
PDP did not sign peace accord
This is coming days after the ruling party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party, declined to sign the peace accord, a political ritual usually done in Nigeria ahead of elections.
Governor Obaseki first said the ruling party would not sign the accord, citing the illegal detention of some party members by the police.
The position of the governor and the PDP has raised some political tension in the state ahead of the election, considering the fact that the main challenger of the PDP in the state is the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party with the federal might.
Edo 2024: PDP campaign with Tinubu’s achievement
PDP had been knocked for campaigning in the Edo state governorship election with the achievement of President Bola Tinubu as the governor of Lagos.
Jubril Gawat, a media aide to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reacted to the PDP campaign video where Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan stated that the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, was part of Tinubu’s economic team that built Lagos.
In the video, Natasha assured that the PDP candidate would transform Edo as Tinubu had transformed Lagos.
