Anambra Election: Group Calls for Large Voters Turnout, Asks IPOB to Call Off Lockdown

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Federal Social Democrats Movement (FSD) has urged voters in Anambra State to turn up in mass on Saturday, November 6, to exercise their constitutional right of electing who would become the next governor of the state.

The FSD stated this in a statement signed by the Interim Publicity Secretary of FSD, Mr. Gbayode Somuyiwa.

The FSD also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organise a free and fair election in spite of the current besetting challenges in the state and called on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to call off its threat to lockdown the South-east region between November 5 and November 10, 2021, in order to make way for a peaceful and orderly election to hold as scheduled.

IPOB had threatened to lock down the region if its leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, is not freed by the federal government on or before November 4, 2021.

The FSD also expressed concern over the federal government’s alleged deployment of a deputy inspector general of police, five assistant inspector generals of police, 14 commissioners of police, 31 deputy commissioners of police, 48 assistant commissioners of police, and about 35,000 police personnel besides soldiers and members of other security outfits.

It described the deployment as nothing but, “a siege on Anambra State when we are not at war,” saying that the development could create anxiety in the state.

Somuyiwa said: “We call on the people of Anambra to turn out in large numbers to choose their preferred candidate who will be their governor.

“It is time for all the well-meaning persons from the state to come together and ensure the election holds.

“We at the FSD say Anambra State governorship election must hold.”

He also commented on the threat to lockdown the South-east by IPOB. He said: “We urge IPOB to allow the election to hold and to call off its threat to lock down the entire South-east region and allow the judicial process to determine the fate of their leader.

“Lockdown is counterproductive, and it is not in the interest of the people of the state. Instigating violence to stop the election will hurt the ordinary people more and those engaged in this act should be wary of playing into the hands of anti-democratic forces who have hinted at imposing emergency rule in the state,” he said.

The FSD also condemned strongly the perceived double standard employed by the federal government in dealing with “separatists’ agitations in both the South-east and South-west regions, whilst terrorists in the North-west and North-central regions are treated with kids’ gloves.”

The statement also said the FSD recognised the inalienable right of any group to self-determination and supported the actualisation of this aspiration through democratic and peaceful means.

It, however, blamed the growing discontent in the country on, “the inability of the government to listen to any voice of dissent and the use of force to silence opposing viewpoints has exacerbated discontent among various groups in the federation,” warning that “the rule of law, which is the foundation of any democracy is daily assaulted and we are witnessing an accelerated erosion of democratic norms in our country.”

It also called on the federal government to caution its security agencies against brutalisation of the people and for the law enforcement agencies deployed to the state to maintain neutrality and strict professionalism throughout the election process.

The movement also warned that INEC could not afford to be sloppy with its arrangements and logistics. “Situation where electoral materials do not arrive on time at polling stations or where polling stations cannot be located must be avoided,” it said.