BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
Ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial election to pick the man who would succeed incumbent, Governor Willy Obiano, citizens of Anambra State, who are residing outside the state, particularly, Abuja the Federal Capital Territory, have called on the political parties and their candidates to make the best use of the situation at hand and ensure that the election is not marred by any unpleasant development.
A cross section of Anambra people who spoke with The Point in Abuja claimed that the various killings and destructions of property that had heightened fear and anxiety in the state were politically motivated.
They accused the various political parties and their candidates for the November 6 governorship election as the brains behind the criminal activities that have left the state devastated.
Speaking to The Point, an indigene who identified himself simply as Oforka, an Abuja based trader, lamented that Anambra State has never experienced this kind of violence in the history of election in the state.
He said the manner the candidates want to grab the governorship seat has led to these dastard situations.
“All these killings and destructions of property are the brain work of these politicians and their supporters who want to become governor of Anambra State at all cost. They do not care about the lives of the people. All they want is to become the next governor of the state.”
He said the people of Anambra State are not known to be violent, noting that the state has just become a reference for bad things just because some individuals want to become governor by hook or crook.
“Everybody knows our state very well. We are peaceful people. We don’t joke with our business and anything that wants to disrupt our business is strongly resisted, so how can we, all of a sudden become killers and destroyers of our property that we laboured for?
“These politicians are the ones behind all the violence in Anambra state. Some of them are not sure of the support of the people and they chose to employ violence to get what they want but it is not feasible,” he said.
Corroborating, a businessman, who introduced himself simply as Chike, said evidences on ground have shown that the politicians are the ones fomenting troubles in the state.
He said none of the political parties and their candidates is free from the accusations and added that their interest is in becoming the next governor but they do not care whether the people are alive or not.
He claimed that the state has become a haven of insecurity and criminality just because of some people’s ambition and insisted that the election results will definitely reflect the wishes of Anambra people.
“All the political parties are involved in this mayhem unleashed on our people back home in the state. Nobody is safe in our state. When I traveled to Onitsha some three months ago, the experience is better imagined. Every 10 metres is a road block by the soldiers yet killings here and there. My brother, if these politicians are not involved, the killings will stop,” he said.
In a related stance, a civil servant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the problem the people of Anambra State are facing in the Saturday election is the intended imposition of a candidate as governor.
“Yes there is violence in the state but it is not as you pressmen report it. Our state is not as bad as many states yet they held elections. Why are you people reporting the case of our state as if it is the worst? That is why the federal government is telling us it will declare state of emergency. Some politicians are sponsoring the stories
“
He said that the violence in the state is a ploy by a political party, which he refused to mention, to impose its candidate on Anambra people by putting fears in the people before the election day but noted that Anambra people, both at home and in diaspora, are aware of the plot.
He further stated that no amount of violence and insecurity would make Anambra voters to shun voting on Saturday, adding that the particular party and its candidate want to put fears in people so that on the election day people will stay away and they will write results in their favour.”
He claimed that the level of do or die recently introduced to Anambra State politics must be checkmated because if it was allowed to continue, the state will be destroyed.
To Udeh, the noise about violence and insecurity in the state is overblown. He accused the media of being used by the politicians to instill fears in people.
He claimed that the federal government threatened to impose state of emergency in the state because of the reports journalists were churning out about the state.
“Yes there is violence in the state but it is not as you pressmen report it. Our state is not as bad as many states yet they held elections. Why are you people reporting the case of our state as if it is the worst? That is why the federal government is telling us it will declare state of emergency. Some politicians are sponsoring the stories.
“Travel to Anambra State, you will confirm that the state is not a high risk area as the reports are making us to believe. Even all the stories that IPOB said there will be no election are not true. You will see that on that day election will take place. Those politicians who want to use federal might to win the election will be disappointed,” he quipped.
About two week ago, President Muhammadu Buhari, warned that the governorship election in the state must hold.
He charged the service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police and other heads of security agencies to make sure no stone was left unturned in their assignment to protect the electorate and electoral umpire on Saturday.
Heightened insecurity in the state was one of the reasons candidates of many political parties for the election on Saturday exported their electioneering campaigns to Lagos State.
Last week, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, announced the deployment of two Deputy Inspectors General of police and five Assistant Inspectors General of police to Anambra State to help ensure adequate security for the November 6 governorship election in the South East state.
The deployment was apparently a response to the general apprehension that the election may be disrupted by the pro-Biafra group, IPOB.
The spokesperson of the force headquarters, Abuja, Frank Mba, who announced the deployment in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said 14 commissioners of police, 31 deputy commissioners of police, and 48 assistant commissioners of police have also been deployed to the state.
Mba, in the statement, described the deployment as “a major overhauling of the security landscape in Anambra” ahead of the election.
He said Joseph Egbunike, a Deputy Inspector General of police, is to co-ordinate the security component for the election. He would be assisted by the acting Deputy Inspector General of police in-charge of operations, Zaki Ahmed.
“DIG Egbunike is saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of the Operation Order evolved from the Election Security Threat Assessment, to ensure a peaceful environment devoid of violence and conducive enough to guarantee that law abiding citizens freely perform their civic responsibilities without molestation or intimidation,” Mba said.
The police boss, Baba, said the police are “adequately prepared” for the election, and that they would do everything within their powers to ensure a free and fair election in the state, the statement stated.
“The IGP calls on citizens in Anambra State to come out en masse and exercise their franchise as adequate security has been emplaced to protect them before, during and after the elections,” the statement added.
Babagana Monguno, the National Security Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, had also cautioned IPOB against disrupting the election.
“I want to reassure the general public that the security agencies are going to do everything within their power to ensure that the people of Anambra State undergo this exercise without any incident.
“In the same vein, I want to offer a word of brotherly advice to our brothers and sisters in Anambra State who may want to use means, methods that are unorthodox and that are unusual to destabilize an already delicate situation, to please, think again,” Monguno, a retired major-general, said at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja.
The agitation for an independent republic, Biafra, which is being championed by IPOB, has led to killings and destruction in Nigeria’s South East region.
The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is facing trial for alleged treason. The group and its supporters are using a sit-at-home order to put pressure on the Nigerian government to release Kanu from
detention.
