... Soludo, Ozigbo, Okonkwo, Uba, others in last minute push to Agu Awka • Police ready, deploy 34,000 officers, helicopters, gunboats, promise to be civil • INEC sends non-sensitive materials to state

Penultimate Friday, a commercial tricycle operator popularly known as Keke NAPEP nearly dragged down this reporter from his motorcycle for a fight. He almost pulled over in order to vent his rage on him.

The Keke man, who was boiling in anger, rained abuses on this reporter, warning him sternly not to dare him next time.

The young man who should be in his 30s, while galloping through the dilapidated road that passed through the side of the state High Court, Awka, the state capital, was condemning the APGA-led government, describing it as the worst in the state’s history.

The dilapidated road also extends to the back of the House of Assembly. A section of it, quite dusty, passed through some of the important offices in the state, including the Post Primary School Service Commission (PPSSC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) secretariat, and terminates at Prof. Kenneth Dike Library just at the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

The tarred road that passed through the state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was closed for reasons that were not made public; thereby making the people pass through untold hardship. But it was suspected to be for security reasons.

It would be recalled that some months ago, gunmen attacked the INEC office and set some sections of it ablaze. The fire burnt three vehicles, damaging about four others. Also, many generators in their store were burnt.

While speaking bitterly about Obiano’s APGA to his four passengers who didn’t solicit his verdict on the governor, the reporter decided to find out if he would, at least, utilize the opportunity provided by the poll to vote for the candidate he believes would change the narrative.

Rather than answer the question, the tricycle operator launched verbal attacks on the reporter. He almost went physical. He queried in rage while he should vote since, according to him, the government had failed to discharge its responsibilities to the people.

“Vote for what?” he thundered in anger. “Why should I vote? Are you stupid? How dare you ask me if I would vote? What has Obiano done in his eight years as governor? What rubbish?”

The greasy looking tricycle operator went on and on, lashing out at the reporter. Although he didn’t know he was venting his anger on a journalist, the Keke man tagged this reporter a government official who is supposed to be severely dealt with.

Before that day, many of his colleagues, some artisans, traders and ordinary people on the streets whom this reporter had interacted with concerning their participation in the election made it clear that they would not vote.

While some of them said that they wanted a country of their own where they believed equity, justice and fairness would reign, some others hinged their decision not to vote on the government’s failure to make their lives better.

The allegations of poor performance by Governor Obiano has, however, been dismissed as untrue by the state government on different occasions.

Specifically, the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C. Don Adinuba, had told this reporter at different times that Obiano had performed better than the former governors of the state.

In Anambra, some people have made it clear that they would not vote. And this suggests that there may be a higher rate of voter apathy compared to the situation during the 2017 governorship election.

Again, the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had announced that there would be a sit-at-home for a number of days starting on the eve of the election.

The group said that the Federal Government must release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, before they would cancel the sit-at-home order. Therefore, if the order subsists, it may further discourage the people from taking part in the election.

But despite the sit-at-home order, the Federal Government has made it very clear that the election would hold as scheduled, adding that security measures were being taken to ensure the protection of lives and property before, during and after the election.

Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Echeng Echeng, last Thursday, disclosed that 34,000 officers and necessary gadgets needed for the November 6 governorship poll in the state had arrived.

The Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman Baba, explained that he was deploying that number of policemen to ensure adequate security of lives and property throughout the period.

Echeng, at a press briefing at the police command headquarters in Amawbia, Anambra State said that all the necessary security gadgets from the IGP had arrived in the state, promising that in the coming days, their presence would be felt in all the nooks and crannies of the state.

“Assets and boots have been deployed to the state by the IGP. The IGP is very passionate and has a psychological attachment to this election; for everything this command has asked for he has given us an addition.

“We have support of the helicopters for aerial surveillance. We have gunboats to patrol the waterways. We have enough vehicles to operate during this election. And from tomorrow, you will be seeing us in the streets.

“We intend to dominate everywhere in this state and the dominance is to reassure the good people of Anambra that they’re secured. Everybody should come out and exercise their civic responsibility on the 6th of November.

“We are going to be very civil to them. But for the troublemakers, we are going to be firm and decisive on anybody who tries to prevent anybody from doing what is the right thing to do”, Echeng said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on its part, said that it was ready to conduct a free, fair and transparent election.

Although its National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had expressed concerns over some security breaches in the Southeast lately, the commission still made it clear that the election would hold as scheduled.

Making good his promise, INEC has already deployed non-sensitive materials to the state even as the Commission’s boss said that the sensitive materials would be warehoused in Central Bank of Nigeria branch in the state.

Yakubu said that the commission was ready to conduct the fairest and most transparent election in the state which outcome would be acceptable to the participating political parties, Anambra people and Nigerians in general.

But how prepared are the political parties to face the election considering the reported activities of gunmen in the state which made the Federal Government to mull imposing a state of emergency on the state?

The All Progressives Congress (APC), told Sunday Sun that the party was ready for the election and that it was very sure of victory.

In fact, it seemed to suggest that it was already preparing for the celebration of their expected victory.

Director of Media and Publicity of the Senator Andy Uba Governorship Campaign Organization, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, told Sunday Sun that the party got ready for the poll about two months ago.

“We have been prepared and ready for the election more than two months ago. With each day that passes, we get stronger because more and more people come into our fold.

“So, each additional day makes us stronger as against the other political parties. As you can see, nobody is entering those parties; rather they are leaving both the PDP and APGA into APC which strengthens our position.

“Luckily, following the threat of a state of emergency declaration, you can see that peace suddenly returned to Anambra State which has afforded us the opportunity to go on with our local government tours.

“We have done about 15 and over the next three days, we would have been through the local government tours leaving November 3 for our grand finale in Awka. So, essentially, we are ready and our party members are very ready for the November 6 elections.

“And not only that, I told you that we had been ready even two months ago. Five weeks ago, we constituted our ward campaign councils and Local Government Campaign Councils. Whereas others thought that because of insecurity we were not campaigning, we were actually at the grassroots, doing door to door campaign; community to community campaign which does not attract any attention.

“So, all those were the things that we didn’t want to make noise about while people remained on social media saying that we were not campaigning; little did they know that our campaigns had penetrated the communities. So, we are ready for the election”, he said.

Ogene, a former member of the House of Representatives for Ogbaru Federal Constituency, told Sunday Sun that the APC has only one contender in the race and that, according to him, was the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

“If you look at the candidates of the three top political parties by any indices, Senator Andy Uba is the most experienced out of the three of them. The other two, Prof. Charles Soludo and Val Ozigbo have never even won a councillorship election.

“Don’t tell me that Obiano never won an election before his first tenure because he ran on the records of the then outgoing Governor Peter Obi. This time, whose record is Soludo running on?

“Soludo is attempting to run on his own records. But his own records too do not bear him out. He has sought the state governorship before and he lost on both occasions. He has also sought to be vice president, but he didn’t get a nomination. So, where is his experience?

“It is a different thing having the power of oratory; talking theory and practical. We are talking about practical politics and he is not there. For Val, he is just coming to get his baptism of fire.

“So, what will be Soludo’s selling point? I just stepped out from the Government House gate. Go and look at the place. There is no road in Awka. You know how many hours one spends in the traffic in a journey of 10 minutes.

“One now spends two hours on traffic. It has never happened before. Which roads did the governor construct or rehabilitate in Awka which is our common heritage as our capital? I am not even talking about fresh construction.

“And there are areas where you can do fresh construction. Opposite Government House gate where APGA office is, if you build a road from there, you hit the other side of the road. That would take away traffic heading towards Amansea.

“Is there any fresh road construction in the capital? If you talk about the local government, my local government, Ogbaru, our road which is supposed to connect Rivers State is at the point where Governor Peter Obi left it eight years ago. Is it such a man that you’ll be voting for?

“All the fanfare about the airport, good enough. We have three airports around us – Owerri, Asaba and Enugu that are one and half hours away from us here in Awka.

“Desirable as an airport maybe, but would you come into a state; maybe you spend one hour on air; and it takes you another five hours to get to your village.

“Of what use is it? Somebody who is coming by road would have reached the village. So, we must begin to look deeper. They just decided to do this project that dazzled people. And nobody is talking about the money spent even though he said that he didn’t spend or borrow a kobo.

“The facts will soon be in the public domain. Where is the N75 billion Peter Obi left? What is he going to leave for the incoming administration? Debts. Which local government did he even do a water project; water projects which even House of Reps members attract?

“Which local government did he do a solar powered borehole? I’d like to know in which local government did he start and finish a semi-standard health facility. I am not talking about a two-room clinic.

“So, the APGA government has really put us in a quandary and think that’s why a lot of people are flocking and buying into the Igwebuike slogan”, the former lawmaker said.

For the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the governorship election was theirs to win.

State Chairman of the party, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, told Sunday Sun that they’re eager to face the poll.

“We are very much prepared. Now that the campaigns have been going on openly, our people have been going from house to house, door to door, village to village, community to community talking to the people. We are talking to the people across the state. So, we are building up. And we are very much prepared”, he said.

Nwobu rated the chances of his party as very bright; saying that the greater population of Anambra people have resolved to vote for the PDP.

“The PDP has the brightest chance of winning the election, I can assure you. From our movements, our prayers and findings, we discovered that the people are looking forward to voting for the PDP. Government in the state has failed. It has failed the people, absolutely. The people want a change”, he said.

For the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), no other party is prepared compared to the grounds it has covered.

Its governorship candidate, Dr Obiora Okonkwo, told Sunday Sun that everything has been put in place and that the people have resolved to vote for him.

Okonkwo said that his supporters whom he described as so many were not in the business of making noise compared to other parties and their supporters.

He said that it was after the election that the people, especially his opponents would know who has the support of the people.

The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) through its secretary in the state, Tony Ifeanya, a lawyer, simply told the reporter that his party was ready to win the election.

He said that they were not just ready to take part in the election, but would eventually coast home to victory as “usual.”

He said that APGA was on ground and that it has so many foot soldiers who’re mobilizing massive support for the party.

But to be sure that the election holds and peacefully too, Civil Society Committee for Anti-Fraud Election Security (CISCAES), has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, to dialogue with the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in order to ensure nothing disrupts the poll.

The group also appealed to the former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and the Secretary of the National Peace Committee, Bishop Hassan Kukah, to reach out to the president and explain to him the need to talk to IPOB as the father of the nation.

Coordinator of the group, Kennedy Iyere, said that he was confident that IPOB would soft-pedal if the president talks to them as a father.

Iyere said that the Anambra election was too important to be messed up for whatever reason; making it very clear that Anambra people must be allowed to choose their governor in a cool and very secure atmosphere.

The deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mrs Azuka Enemuo, also appealed to the IPOB members to listen to the voice of reason and soft-pedal on their stand on the poll.

Also, the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Okey Nwosu, said that it was wrong for the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to label IPOB a terrorist organization.

“Double standard in nation building is both unjust and crippling; and that is why the country is in the state that we are today. We all know the discontentment in the nation, the security challenges, the poverty and the continuous waste of life across Nigeria”, he stated.

He, however, appealed to IPOB leadership to see reasons to allow the democratic activity to take place as according to him, the election would still be in the best interest of Ndigbo.

(Adopted from Sunday Sun)

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