By CHARLES ONYEKWERE, Enugu

A coalition of civil society organizations has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to shift the Anambra Governorship election scheduled to hold on November 6, 2021 by one month because of security threat in the state.

The Coalition comprising 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 Organization (SBCHROs) said in a statement that the threat by agitators to embark on sit-at-home protest at the time of the poll and militarization of state by security agencies have given them cause to doubt INEC’s readiness to go ahead with the Anambra Governorship Election on November 6, 2021.

In a joint statement signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Barr Chidimma Udegbunam (Intersociety), Prof Jerry Chukwuokoro & Okezie Kelechi, (SBCHROs) and Comrades Aloysius Attah and Vincent Ezekwueme (Southeast CLO), the Coalition noted that INEC’s assurance on the scheduled poll, was totally contrary to the current realities on the ground .

According to the coalition, INEC’s assurances were dead on arrival and repugnant to conditions for free and fair elections particularly, the referenced Anambra Governorship Election.

The coalition explained that if the Commission is truly ready to conduct an all-inclusive and credible Governorship Election in Anambra State, it ought to be deeply worried and concerned and should not have given such “assurances of the graveyard.”

It noted that with the security threat in the state, INEC would have no other reasonable option than to capitalize on its constitutional and statutory “escape routes” by shifting the Election for one month or from 6th November to 6th December 2021.

“This is more so when the present realities on the ground are no way nearing the semblances of the Commission’s “assurances.” It must be noted that the chief driving force of the grave present realities on the ground in Anambra State are tensions and fears created by the agitators’ threats and security forces’ poor handling styles such as their counter threats and reckless use of state violence-all targeted at the unarmed and defenseless general population, especially the independent and conscientious voters.

“To reverse the above requires counter announcements by the agitators, including suspension of their scheduled sit-at-home protest and declaring that “Anambra voters are free to go and vote a governorship candidate of their choice and that their votes shall be protected.”

“In the event the former becomes irreversible, the Independent National Electoral Commission will have no other reasonable option that to capitalize on its constitutional and statutory ‘escape routes’ by shifting the Election for one month or from 6th November to 6th December 2021.

The statement reads in part: “The clarifications by the clarifications by the agitators to the effect that “their seven (five) days sit-at-home protest scheduled to start from 5th Nov to 10th November was not issued to scuttle or target the Anambra Governorship Poll,” has been carefully analyzed by Intersociety and the Coalition and found not to hold water.

“It is therefore correct to say that ‘by all intents and purposes,” the suddenly declared sit-at-home and its timing are targeted at scuttling the Anambra Governorship Poll and provide grounds for the Poll to be massively and scientifically rigged by the Establishment so as to transform the State and its natural environment into “a RUGA State.”

“This is more so when it is on irrefutable record that the present Federal Government of Nigeria and the Independent National Electoral Commission are not fans or exponents of Credible Elections in Nigeria or any part therefore. The body and voice languages of the agitators have also since 2017 been “no more elections in Biafra Land,”

It added that “the sit-at-home protest is legitimate but targeting it at the time of Anambra poll is illegitimate.”

The Coalition contended that the declaration of “no election in Biafra states" was a plot by the agitators to discourage and scare away Anambra voters from voting in the Anambra Governorship Poll, forcing hundreds of thousands of independent and conscientious voters into their homes or to stay indoors to avoid being attacked or killed or losing valuable properties.

The coalition, however, asked the electoral body to shift the election to 6th of December if the agitators insist on going ahead with their five days electoral disruptive sit-at-home threats.

“Apart from proving the agitators right or wrong by shifting the date of the Poll and if they target and impose another sit-at-home to disrupt the Poll, this will also enable the tensions and fears created and inflicted on the general population, especially the voters, to drastically reduce and provide the Commission and other stakeholders, including security agencies, political parties, their candidates and agents to re-strategize, including reducing fears and deploying peace and dispute resolution mechanisms and demilitarization of the electoral space.

“The Commission must also begin the process of introducing a mixture of electronic and manual voting for subsequent polls and reducing militarization of the electoral process and high cost of same,” it added.

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