The Publisher Nigeria team have arrived in Anambra State ahead of the November 6th, Saturday Governorship election in the state.
In this post, we will be updating you with the latest security situation and latest security threats from all the 21 local government areas of Anambra.
Live Security Situation Reports From Anambra Governorship Election 2021 Headlines:
•We saw them shooting indiscriminately, chanting Jihadist slogans
•IGP orders 24-hour restriction of vehicular movements
•Anambra govt, Police bicker over alleged plan to arrest key officials
•18 candidates sign Peace Accord
•INEC begins distribution of electoral materials to 21 LGAs
•Says it’s doing its best to make exercise credible
•IPOB cancels seven-day sit-at-home, urges voters to exercise their franchise
•Maintain peace, Abubakar tells Anambra people
‘ Many Voters Already Left’– Residents Describe IPOB’s Cancellation Of Sit-At-Home As Medicine After Death
Newsonline reports that barely twenty-four hours to tomorrow’s governorship election in Anambra State, a coalition of civil society groups, yesterday decried the tense atmosphere in the state, which they claimed is being escalated by security forces.
“Drafted security forces are escalating and heightening tensions, panics and fears among Anambra voters by engaging in indiscriminate shootings, mindless brutalities and chanting of offensive ethno-religious slogans,” the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), the Southeast Zone of the Civil Liberties Organization (Southeast CLO) and the Southeast Based Coalition of Democracy and Human Rights Organizations (SBCHROs), said.
Indeed, the exodus of some Anambra residents to neighbouring states continued yesterday as the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, ordered a 24-hour restriction of vehicular movement in and out of Anambra State from 11:59pm on Friday, November 5, 2021 to 11:59pm on Saturday, November 6, 2021.
The IGP noted that the restriction order had become necessary following pointers from the election security threats assessments conducted by the Force, which indicated a high likelihood of infiltration by criminally-minded individuals to Anambra State before, during and after the polls.
Meanwhile, following the intervention of traditional and religious leaders, and Igbo elders, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday canceled its seven-day sit-at-home directive that would have started today, and denied issuing poll boycott order.
In readiness for a credible and peaceful election, the 18 governorship candidates, yesterday signed a peace accord as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, began distribution of electoral materials to the 21 LGAs of the state.
On a day that former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, retd, urged Anambra people to maintain peace during the poll, the Anambra State Government and the Police bickered over alleged plan to arrest government officials on fabricated charges.
We saw security forces shooting indiscriminately, chanting Jihadist slogans
The CSO coalition in a joint statement, signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche, and Chidimma Eva Udegbunam (for Intersociety), Comrades Aloysius Attah and Vincent Ezekwueme (for Southeast CLO) and Dr. Jerry Chukwuokoro, and Dr. Okezie Kelechi (for SBCHROs) they are ‘’deeply worried and saddened that just two days to the Anambra Governorship Election, the Nigerian security forces comprising soldiers of the Nigerian Army and personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps and other armed personnel of the country’s security forces deployed or being deployed in Anambra State ahead of the Nov 6 2021 Governorship Election have brazenly resorted to escalating and heightening of tensions, panics and fears among Anambra voting population.
These, the named drafted security forces, numbering over 100,000, are engaging in through indiscriminate shootings, mindless brutalization of the civil population and chanting or use of offensive ethno-religious slogans in addition to flooding the State with Lorries of suspected non indigenes and fake voters.
The latter may not be unconnected with recent threat by Federal Government to “go as far as using prisoners and inmates as voters to ward off the agitators’ sit-at-home threat to scuttle the poll”. The crude and hostile attitudes of the drafted security forces towards Anambra residents and voters have strongly painted them (security forces) as engaging in special presidential clandestine operations other than election duties.”
The statement continued: “Apart from several reports of indiscriminate and aimless shootings by soldiers and ‘special’ police squads at densely populated places like frontages of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Nkwo Igbo and Afor Umunze Community Markets at Igbo-Ukwu and Umunze communities and densely populated others like Ekwulobia, Ihiala, Atani, Oba (Old Oba-Nnewi Road axis), Nnewi, Nkpor, Abagana and so on; the shooting incident and chanting of corrupted but now anti secular or ethno-religious violent slogans such as “Allahu Akbar” and “Nyamiri” were brazenly the case in the evening of yesterday, Tuesday, 3rd November 2021.
“The incident occurred at the ever busy Onitsha Niger Bridgehead and Uga Junction located at Fegge, Onitsha. The incident, which took place between 5.30pm and 6.10pm when traders were retiring home from the nearby Bridgehead Market, saw indiscriminate shooting of live bullets by military and police personnel and chanting of offensive ethno-religious slogans (i.e. Allahu Akbar, Nyamiri, etc). The retiring traders and other road users were thrown into panics and fears forcing them to run helter skelter to avoid being hit by live bullets. Some Coalition members also saw it all; and in addition to sighting thousands of suspected non indigenes of the State and fake voters being brought into the State in dozens of hired Luxurious Buses marked in green colors and fully escorted by armed soldiers and police personnel.”
IGP orders restriction of vehicular movements
As part of measures to protect the sanctity of the electoral process IGP Usman Alkali Baba, ordered the restriction of vehicular movement in and out of Anambra State from 11:59pm on Friday to 11:59pm on Saturday.
According to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, the IGP further noted that “the measure would also avail security forces a firm grip of the state to checkmate the movement of political thugs and touts, and prevent the free flow, circulation and use of illicit arms and hard drugs throughout the period and beyond.
“The IGP enjoined INEC officials, accredited observers and journalists, and other authorized officials to go about their lawful duties as it relates to the elections, provided they observe all relevant rules guiding their deployment including the visible display of their accreditation tags.”
Anambra govt, police disagree over alleged plan to arrest key officials
The Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C. Don Adinuba, cried out over alleged plan by the opposition to arrest key officials of the Anambra Government on fabricated charges.
Adinuba in a statement, said: “The Anambra State Government has received credible intelligence reports about moves by members of a certain political party to use the instrumentality of the state to arrest key officials of the State Government anytime on trumped-up charges.
“The aim is to hijack the gubernatorial election. One of the meetings where the use of coercive apparatus of the state to carry out this plot has just been held in Awka, the Anambra State capital,” he alleged.
Police faults claim
In a swift response, the Anambra Police Command Public Relations Officers, ASP Tochukwu Ikenga, declined knowledge of such information.
He said that the police command in Anambra is yet to receive official report on such information and advised media practitioners to verify any information available to them before going to print to avoid misinforming the public.
However, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations, Mr. Zaki Ahmed, who spoke with reporters and members of the Civil Society Organizations at the police headquarters in Awka, described the allegation as fake news.
INEC begins distribution of electoral materials to 21 LGAs
Ahead of the poll, the INEC commenced the distribution of electoral materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Awka to the 21 local government areas of the state, yesterday.
The INEC team in charge of the distribution is led by the Festus Okoye, national commissioner and chairman, information, voter education and publicity committee.
Candidates sign Peace Accord
The 18 candidates contesting tomorrow’s election, yesterday signed a peace accord in Awka, the state capital.
The INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, was present at the ceremony which was facilitated by the National Peace Committee led by former Head of State, general Abdulsalami Abubakar, retd..
Speaking at the ceremony, Yakubu said the commission has done all it can to make the election process hitch-free, and appealed to residents to keep the peace so that election will be violence-free
Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressives Party, YPP; Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress, APC; and Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, were among those who signed the peace accord.
