By CHARLES IWUOHA

A coalition of civil organisation, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has called on candidates of various political parties and their supporters to maintain decorum until the electoral empire announced the final result.

The group expressed dismay over attacks and counter attacks emanating from the camps of gubernatorial candidates and their supporters, warning that such may hit up the polity.

In a statement signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche Esquire and Chidinma Udegbunam Esquire respectively, the coalition condemned the flooding of social media platforms including WhatsApp and Facebook with derogatory statements of unguarded utterances, investigated and found to have emanated from the loyalists of the outgoing Government of Anambra State officials, chieftains of its political Party both at the national and state levels.

The statement reads in part: “The malicious internet activities, derogatorily called “e-rats” have taken over same and unleashed same with disparaging remarks, name callings, derogatory statements and other forms of unguarded utterances against some respected persons including those that are running for the INEC-declared “inconclusive Governorship Election” in the state.

“Such unguarded utterances have specifically been directed at some natural and corporate persons including Nnamdi Emmanuel Uba (Andy) and his APC as well as Peter Obi, Oselloka Obaze, Valentine Ozigbo and their political Party-PDP.

“The social media platforms under reference have been awash with a litany of unprinted words and uncouth languages and derogatory remarks by the malicious internet surfers against the named political players, their parties and others.

“We also understand that some overzealous internet enthusiasts loyal to the winning Governorship Candidate of the State ruling Party have joined in the dastardly act.

“Ordinarily, this is not the right time for us at Intersociety to issue this type of statement, but we are deeply worried over the grave implications or consequences of the continuation of such unguarded utterances or derogatory statements or aspersions casting.

“The intelligence reports available to us on this are very shocking and of grave concerns and they can only be better explained or understood with a legend story of “an Isuofia/Igbo-Ukwu man in the early days of the colonial rule who was invited for an interview at Awka having applied to join police force and on his way for the interview and on getting to Agulu, miles away from Awka, he alighted from the passenger vehicle conveying him and others and started arresting his co-passengers, telling them that he is now a police officer. This is even when he has not passed his interview, not to talk of being enlisted into the police force”.

“That is to say that whoever that finally wins the Anambra Governorship Poll or declared by INEC, even though Prof Charles Soludo is in a verge of clinching it; must see his victory as ‘a win-win’ and not a licence to fan the embers of discord or renewal of old enmity.

“It is also not an opportunity to be drenched in derogatory remarks. The winner must extend his hands of fellowship and friendship and bury all forms of hatchets with his political rivalries including his real or imagined enemies. Angers and grudges must also be suspended indefinitely. We must warn that it is not yet Uhuru and it is too early to celebrate because ‘snake is still hiding inside dry grasses’.

“Under the present tainted, corrupted and corruptive political dispensation in the country, ‘winning the seat of Governorship through one-person-one-vote is one thing, sustaining it formatively and output-legitimacy wise is another.

“Hon Emeka Ihedioha was carried away when he became the Imo Governor in late May 2019, to the extent that he shut the door off the democratic forces and un-purchasably respected voices.

“By four months into his governorship, the tainted and conscienceless powers that be reached out to the ‘prophets of doom with concoctions which were later perfected by some dishonorable persons in the Hallowed Chambers of Justice and by January 2020, he was kicked out of gubernatorial seat of power till date. Already “I see victorious” is cooking in Anambra State.”

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