Tony Osauzo and Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin

The peace pact entered into by the All Progressives Congress (A‎PC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the instance of the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, appear to have lowered the level of violence and attacks that have trailed the campaigns of the two major political parties contesting the election.

But the development came even as the APC, last weekend raised the alarm that the PDP agents attacked its members at Ewu in Esan Central Local Government Area while they were pasting the posters of the governorship candidate of the party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

Leader of Ewu youth APC Campaign Council, and former Special Adviser to the Council Chairman, Clement Inegben, disclosed that around 8 pm on Friday, he was summoned to appear at Ewu Police Station only to be attacked as he got to the station.

Another youth, simply identified as Aguni, said they were installing mini billboards when PDP loyalists descended on them with dangerous weapons. He asked authorities and the public to rescue them from the Council Chairman, who he claimed had formed the habit of harassing those who have refused to follow him to PDP.

Reacting to the development, Pastor Ize-Iyamu enjoined the youths to maintain their peaceful disposition, which they had adopted from the beginning of the campaign. He however expressed disappointment that after the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, had extracted commitment from leaders of all political groups and other stakeholders to maintain peace throughout the period of the election, the PDP still stuck to the use of violence.

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Other APC Leaders in Ewu, including a former Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, David Iyoha and a former commissioner, Larry Aghedo, prevailed on the youth to stick nobly to peace and tranquillity.

But yesterday, the PDP, while addressing journalists in Benin City said “APC claiming that their members were attacked is contrived to get the election postponed”.

State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chris Nehikhare, who spoke for the party, explained that after the peace talk at the Oba Palace, no member of the PDP has carried out any attack.

“The PDP has worked on the Oba’s peace pact. In the last few days, no reported attack. Since the Oba spoke on this issue, there has been cautiously no new issue. APC is trying to contrive violence to postpone the election”, Nehikhare said and challenged APC to show evidence of attack on their members.

“APC should stop contriving violence because election would be on September 19 and APC would be roundly defeated”, Nehikhare added and reminded INEC that the success of the election was in its hand, stressing that the PDP as a party, was committed to peaceful election.