The Anambra State Labour Party (LP) Caucus in the National Assembly has accused Governor Chukwuma Soludo of plotting to use non-state security operatives and thugs during Saturday’s bye-elections in the state.
The elections for the Onitsha North 1 State Assembly seat and the Anambra South senatorial zone are expected to be fiercely contested.
The LP lawmakers, made up of two senators and six members of the House of Representatives, urged security chiefs to join forces with the Nigerian police to ensure a peaceful atmosphere that would allow voters to exercise their franchise without fear.
In a statement 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, the Caucus alleged that there are moves to use state government-controlled agents to scare away prospective voters not aligned to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) from the polling units.
The lawmakers said, “Information at our disposal indicates that Governor Chukwuma Soludo and his All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), have concluded plans to deploy men of the state’s security outfit, Udogachi, crude revenue enforcers, popularly known as Ndi Aka Odo, and sundry non-state actors to take over the various voting points for the bye elections.
“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.
“We, therefore, call on the nation’s top security architecture, especially the National Security Adviser, NSA, the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding(GOC), 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, the Commanding Officer(CO), Field Artillery, Onitsha, the Director-General, Directorate of State Security, DSS and the Anambra State Director of the Service, as well as the Corps Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), to fully deploy their personnel, so as to restore voter confidence in the election, as well as protect the lives of those involved in the process.
According to the lawmakers, “the whole essence of democratic governance revolves around freedom of choice, made possible by free and fair elections”.
They described Saturday’s bye-elections in Anambra and other states “as a litmus test on Nigeria’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, “In order to achieve this goal, therefore, the process cannot be skewed to favour any particular individual, be he a governor or not.
“For the case of Onitsha North Constituency 1, we are shocked to the bone marrow by the level of desperation of Governor Soludo and APGA-led state government against a widow whose husband was kidnapped and killed as the then sitting member representing the constituency.
“We also make haste to point out that, as an off-season election, the attention of all participants, including candidates, political parties, local and foreign observers, and of course, the media, would be focused on the process.”
“As a people, we must therefore strive to ensure that everyone plays by the rules,” the statement added.
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