Imo State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hope Uzodimma, along with other notable governorship candidates, were conspicuously absent from the Peace Accord signing ceremony held in Owerri, the state capital.
The event, organized by the National Peace Committee, was aimed at fostering peace and unity among the candidates ahead of the November 11 governorship election.
Candidates of various political parties, including Labour Party, Athan Achonu; All Progressives Grand Alliance, Tony Ejiogu; and New Nigeria Peoples Party, Ben Odunze, were notably missing from the ceremony.
Despite their absence, candidates like Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), came but left after realizing the absence of major political contenders.
While Uzodimma, Achonu, and Anyanwu had sent their running mates to represent them, the organizers of the event refused to allow proxies to sign the peace accord, emphasizing that the candidates themselves should endorse the agreement.
However, the chairmen of the APC and Labour Party went ahead to sign the documents. Other candidates, including those from the Social Democratic Party, Action Democratic Party, Action Alliance, and others, were present and willingly signed the peace accord.
Uzodimma’s running mate, Chinyere Ekomaru, was among those not permitted to sign and subsequently left after her party chairman, Macdonald Ebere, signed the document. Achonu’s running mate, Tony Nwulu, faced a similar situation, but his party chairman, Callistus Ihejiagwa, signed on behalf of the Labour Party candidate. The running mate of the PDP candidate, Jones Onyereri, also encountered this restriction.
In a later announcement, it was made that candidates who missed the ceremony could visit the office of the state Commissioner of Police to sign the documents on Thursday.
Speaking to journalists, Onyereri explained that Anyanwu had left due to prior engagements. He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission not to compromise the electoral process, as it would undermine the essence of the peace accord.
The ceremony, attended by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Frank Mba, and senior security agents, saw a significant presence of security personnel, reflecting the importance of maintaining peace and security during the upcoming governorship election.