Against the backdrop of continuing violence which has so far claimed several lives that of including Dr Chike Akunyili, the husband of the late Dr. Dora Akunyili, and the sit-at-home order declared by the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), there is palpable fear that the Anambra governorship elections scheduled for November 6, 2021 may be disrupted.
Reports emanating from the state speak of rival gangs of gunmen prowling towns and villages, attacking the campaign processions of the candidates of political parties running for the governorship election. This has created anxiety among potential voters in the state, who fear for their lives if they go out to vote.
Although many voters in the state want to come out and vote in the elections, they fear that the on-going violence may deter them from doing so. The most disconcerting of the dangers is the sit at home order declared by the outlawed IPOB, said to start from Thursday November 4, two days before the election.
The outlawed IPOB has been enforcing its illegal every Monday sit at home order in the South Eastern states for months now. IPOB enforcers frequently resort to violence to enforce the order as they go round markets, shops, banks and other public and private institutions, closing them down and sometimes killing, looting and destroying property. the fear is therefore real that the outlawed group will try to unleash violence during weekend’s poll in Anambra State.
disrupting the Anambra elections cannot in any way further the group’s aims or address its grievances, whatever they are. It will instead deny many people in Anambra State the chance to choose their own leaders. Even if IPOB’s threat of violence discourages many potential voters from going out to vote, it will not succeed in thwarting the elections because a winner will still be declared. There is no legal limit to the percentage of voter turnout necessary to validate an election in Nigeria.
Both Federal and Anambra State Governments should send a clear message to the people of Anambra State and Nigerians that the Anambra elections will hold as scheduled. Independent National Electoral Commission’s [INEC] determination to hold the elections on the scheduled date of November 6, 2021 is quite commendable.
So also are the pro-active measures taken by President Muhammadu Buhari in directing the service chiefs to ensure adequate security in Anambra State during the elections. The Police Inspector General’s deploying of a huge force, including two DIGs, 3 AIGs and many CPs, DCPs and ACPs attests to the seriousness of the security measures.
IPOB must not be allowed to succeed with its planned sabotage of Anambra polls, lest it be emboldened to try it again elsewhere.
