| Urges Security Chiefs to Guarantee Voter Safety
The Anambra State Labour Party (LP) Caucus in the National Assembly has accused Governor Chukwuma Soludo of plotting to deploy non-state security operatives and touts during Saturday’s bye-elections in the state.
The elections, scheduled for August 16, are for the Onitsha North 1 State Constituency in the House of Assembly and the Anambra South Senatorial District.
In a statement issued in Awka on Friday, the caucus — comprising two senators and six members of the House of Representatives — called on top security chiefs to assist the police in creating a safe atmosphere for voters to exercise their franchise without fear of harassment.
The lawmakers alleged that Soludo and his All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) had concluded plans to deploy the state’s security outfit, Udogachi, crude revenue enforcers known locally as ndi aka odo, and other non-state actors to dominate polling units and intimidate voters not aligned to APGA.
“In an election where candidates of APGA are major contenders, it would be foolhardy to allow the governor to take charge of security arrangements, especially as that would confer undue advantage on his party,” the statement read.
The caucus urged the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu, the Commanding Officer of the Field Artillery in Onitsha, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Anambra State Director of the DSS, and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to fully deploy personnel to restore voter confidence and safeguard lives during the polls.
“The whole essence of democratic governance revolves around freedom of choice, made possible by free and fair elections. Tomorrow’s Anambra bye-elections, like several others in some states of the federation, are a litmus test on our country’s readiness to ensure that the votes of Nigerians not only count, but are peacefully counted in order to arrive at an acceptable outcome,” the lawmakers said.
They further condemned what they described as Soludo’s desperation in the Onitsha North 1 contest, which they said was directed against “a widow whose husband, a sitting member representing the constituency, was kidnapped and killed.”
“As an off-season election, the attention of all participants — including candidates, political parties, local and foreign observers, and the media — will be focused on the process. As a people, we must therefore strive to ensure that everyone plays by the rules,” the statement added.
The statement was jointly signed by Senator Victor Umeh, Senator Tony Nwoye, Rt. Hon. George Ozodinobi, Hon. Afam Ogene, Hon. Emeka Idu, Hon. (Prof.) Lilian Orogbu, Hon. Peter Anekwe, and Hon. Uchenna Okonkwo.