By Innocent Duru and Emma Elekwa, Onitsha
• Like PDP’s Ozigbo, Uba postpones APC’s campaign flag-off
• No fewer than 30 innocent lives have been lost- ADC Chairman Nwosu
• There can’t be an election when nobody is safe – Chekwas Okorie
• What Igbo stakeholders must do for election to hold- Ohanaeze
Fresh anxiety is trailing the November 6 governorship election in
Anambra following the worsening state of insecurity in the state.
Peoples Democratic Party flagbearer, Valentine Ozigbo, temporarily
suspended his campaign rallies on Friday, citing the rising spate of
killings in the state as reason for the suspension.
His All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Andy Uba, also
postponed the flag-off rally for his campaign scheduled for yesterday,
Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Uba, in a statement issued on Friday, said his party would not play
politics with people’s lives, adding that the decision was taken to
honour those killed in recent attacks across the state.
There have been several attacks by gunmen in the state over the past
weeks, leading to destruction of properties and killings, including the
recent murder of Chike Akunyili, husband of the late Dora Akunyili,
ex-minister of information and communications.
Decrying the dangers the killings pose to the forthcoming election,
National Chairman of African Democratic Congress, ADC, Ralphs Okey
Nwosu, told our correspondent that not less than 30 innocent lives have
been lost to mindless killings in the state in recent times.
In a WhatsApp message he titled ‘Anambra as the Electoral War front’
and sent in response to our correspondent’s question, Nwosu said: “Not
less than 30 innocent lives have been lost in Anambra State in what I
must say has to do with November 6, 2021, Anambra governorship election.
It started with the tragic incident involving two security personnel
attached to APGA’s Charles Soludo.
“Since then, many more persons were murdered callously. Until the
massive onslaught of this and penultimate weeks, most people had
attributed the killings to IPOB and their Monday lock down promulgation.
Some pointed fingers to state operatives and the herdsmen. But
reflecting back to what transpired during the party primaries or
candidate selection processes of the so called two major political
parties and APGA, the picture seems to be getting clearer. The
desperation of members of the ruling parties is painting our democracy
in human blood not to talk of violation of court processes and the
judiciary. The APC, PDP and APGA have brought a new form of Boko Haram
to the Southeast and the judiciary. When Soludo’s security men were
killed, everyone thought it to be a plot outside politics. But barely
5weeks to the election the war in APGA is still on with Soludo and
Governor Obiano unperturbed while APGA members move in droves to the
APC.”
Within the PDP, the ADC chair regretted that there had been a series
of court injunctions and free spree of dollars causing chaos. “Some of
their heavy war chest contenders have potted to new platforms with their
concocted chalice. The APC had settled their primary in hotels not in
the wards as the direct primary process requires. Within the week of the
PDP, APC and APGA primaries, gun men occupied most of the hotels and
roamed the various wards and constituencies in Anambra state. Bullion
vans stood by in the banks within the capital city of Awka doling out
money for grand purchase of the entire process.
“All the war happened within those parties before and during their
primaries and made the outcome of their events toxic. Now the toxicity
has gone into the larger field of contestation and the pungency is so
corrosive and has consumed about 20 lives in less than one week. There
is no other way to explain what is happening in Anambra. It is APGA, PDP
and APC desperados in a dangerous power war of a new sort.”
He further said: “I had listened to Profs Utomi, Jega and a host of
very erudite others talk about electronic collation of polls results and
the lukewarm attitudes of the National Assembly to electoral integrity.
More than 98percent of the members of the National Assembly are members
of the same parties. Electoral integrity means nothing to those who can
murder for vote or those who give no hoot to fraudulent emptying of the
nation’s treasury only because they are in public service.
“To correctly rejig our democracy rests on all of us, especially
those truly pained by how low the nation has sunk under the illusion of
democracy. To avoid further bloodshed in Anambra State, the Inspector
General of police, DGs of all the security intelligence agencies,
leaders of political parties and the candidates must hold a summit
within the next couple of days. Also there should be an emergency
judiciary meeting to take hard and patriotic decisions on APC, PDP, APGA
and all that potted after their primaries. These are the people who are
transferring their corrosive culture of win by gun, hook or crook to
the larger environment. INEC has the records and can facilitate the
peace.”
Speaking on the implications of the killings for the forthcoming
election if efforts are not made to resolve the problems, All
Progressives Congress chieftain, Chief Chekwas Okorie, said it is left
to anybody’s guess. “How can there be an election when nobody is safe to
go about? I am in the South East as we speak. All the roads that
soldiers mounted road blocks in Igboland, those soldiers have
disappeared because they lack the confidence and capacity to confront
the suicidal attackers. These attackers are suicidal.
“The roads are now empty leaving all of us to be facing these non-
state actors. That the Ohanaeze did not do the Igbo Day celebration on
September 29 as planned, that campaign rallies are being suspended is
not because of what they are saying that they are honouring the dead.
It is because the place is unsafe. I am an APC chieftain. Look at the
people that are in Andy Uba Campaign Organisation, practically all the
governors of the APC and all the stalwarts, and it is expected that
either the President or the Vice President would have been there today
but who will allow his own relation, or which wife will allow her
husband to go to Anambra or any part of Igboland at this time?
“If those with all the security details are afraid to come in, what
then happens to the ordinary voters? He will stay in his house on the
day of the election. If that happens, INEC has already said if there is
no election in Anambra, there would be a constitutional crisis.”
He however expressed optimism that the crisis can be tamed. “We can
halt this thing. The Niger Delta militancy was handled. We are talking
about dousing the tension that is here before talking about the
election.
“The elections should be held. If the election does not hold, then
Nigeria would have surrendered to non- state actors. That is not to be
allowed. But there is something that is making the southeast a
difficult place to do business or politics and that itself is the issue
of secessionist agitation by the IPOB with its militant wing known as
ESN. My suggestion to end that problem is for the government without
further delay to engage the principal actors of this group in a
dialogue. The Southeast caucus of the National Assembly led by
Ekweremmadu made a unanimous decision to engage the government in a
dialogue that will reduce the tension in the Southeast or if possible
eliminate it. I urge the President to take advantage of that offer
being made. It is on record that no effort has been made before now by
the Federal Government to engage the leaders of the separatist group in a
dialogue. This is the time to do it.”
He further said: “The president has already shown tremendous capacity
to forgive as a father. He has shown that in many instances, the most
recent one being the one of Fani Kayode. If it was possible for someone
to use word of mouth to bring down this government, FFK did all of that.
If it was possible to use the word of mouth to destroy Nigeria and
disintegrate it, he did all of that not to talk of personal attack to
the first family yet the president did not only receive him into Aso
Rock but he also gave him a red carpet reception in the presidency.
“I am confident that he has the capacity to authorise dialogue. Even
if he is not going to be directly involved, he can authorize dialogue
with the separatist groups namely Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho. That
will give him a good legacy of leaving a less divided Nigeria. Nigeria
is almost at a brink of collapse and he can save it. It is an appeal and
not an order that I am making.
“This is my candid, sincere, and dispassionate appeal to President
Buhari. I am making myself available, if so desired by this government,
to be part of that process of dialogue. I have the sufficient goodwill
to do something but not without mandate. There must be a mandate to do
so.”
Igbo stakeholders must meet to stop killings – Ohanaeze
National spokesman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Alex Ogbonnia told The Nation
there is need for a reorientation about the need for everybody to
cooperate for Anambra to hold the election. “Anambra is the most
organized state in Nigeria. The road network and everything about the
state is organized and exemplary. Anambra is the economic nerve centre
of the entire South East region and beyond. What is happening in
Anambra is painful not only to the Southeast but the whole Nigeria.
“There is the need for we the elders of Igboland to organize a
seminar for a reorientation of Anambra youths and find a way to sort out
these criminals so that they will face justice. We need to come
together so that what is happening in Anambra would stop, so that there
would be an election to elect a credible person that will continue to
develop the state.”
On the agitators’ claim they were not responsible for the killings,
Ogbonnia said: “IPOB started the agitation but unfortunately, miscreants
cashed in on it and hijacked it and gave it a criminal colouration.
Both the IPOB and everybody will have to come together now. When you
talk about sit-at- home, IPOB has said no more to it but you see some
people enforcing it. It requires the collaboration of both the IPOB and
other stakeholders in Igboland to agree that there is no longer sit-
at -home, and need for violence. It is true that IPOB may not be
involved in what is happening but it was what they started that
miscreants have cashed in on and given criminal colouration.
“IPOB is saying the treatment of the Igbo is unfair and it is either
you treat us well or we live. I remember one state in the north where
they were bargaining with herdsmen and kidnappers and they were
discussing how much they would pay them for them to stop what they are
doing. Ohanaeze is saying that if they could be bargaining with those
people on how much you will pay them, you can as well dialogue with IPOB
to know their problem and meet the solution halfway. The President in
his Independence speech mentioned dialogue and unity. Let us embark on
that one and dialogue with them so that we can meet them halfway. It is
unfair for the President to keep quiet, leave IPOB and go on bargaining
with terrorists. It is wrong and an injustice. There can be peace
without justice.”
Despite the odds, he said: “I am sure the election will hold. I don’t
want to be pessimistic. The election will hold. Surely it must hold. We
are Igbo. We will know how to solve the problem.”
The Chairman, Anambra Civil Society Network (ACSONET), Prince Chris
Azor said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should go
ahead with the election, arguing that any shift would further embolden
detractors whose target was to cow the government into submission.
He also urged political parties to commit to violence free election
by signing peace accords, just as he called on governments at all levels
to engage stakeholders in dialogue and conflict resolution and
management.
He said, “INEC should go ahead with Anambra Governorship election,
2021. This is because an official date has been fixed for the exercise.
Again, it’s necessary in order not to acquiesce to the wishes of
detractors who want to intimidate and cow us into submission and
surrender.
“Moreso, the security Agencies have not indicated their inability to
ensure adequate security and safety during the exercise. However,
innovative security Strategies should be deployed to check the current
obvious threats to the conduct of the election.
“INEC should work with other stakeholders to put security and safety
measures in place for a free, fair, credible and peaceful election come
November 6, 2021.
“All political Parties should commit to violence free, hate speech
free and fake news free election, by signing Peace Accords. There is
also a need for intensified Voter Education and information by all major
stakeholders.
“Governments at state and federal levels should engage citizens and
sundry stakeholders in dialogues/peace building and conflict resolution/
management.
“Civil Society and media should sensitize, set an agenda, educate
citizens to ensure transparency and accountability and peaceful credible
election.
“Security stakeholders should up their game and coordinate
intelligence gathering and rapid response. Citizens should cooperate
with the authorities in Election Risk Management (ERM)
On his part, State Coordinator, Not Too Young To Rule, Nonso Orakwe,
said the call for shift of the exercise was unnecessary, insisting the
exercise could still go on despite the prevailing circumstances.
Orakwe who is also the Executive Director, Catch Them Young Community
Initiative called on the state government to rise to its responsibility
of protecting the lives of the citizens, while the media should
intensify its sensitization campaign.
He said, “There’s no point shifting the election. I suggest the media
should raise more sensitization on citizens to own the election
irrespective of the security threats everywhere.
“Our governor should bring back hope to the populace by taking drastic action. I’m not in support of shifting it.”
-thenationonlineng.net
