Anambra govt pledges credible guber polls
Sopuruchi Onwuka
Government of Anambra State has assured citizens and residents of peaceful and credible processes in the upcoming gubernatorial elections scheduled for November this year.
Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C. Don Adinuba, declared in a statement that the state government is committed to conducting model polling process that would consolidate existing tradition of honouring the will of the people.
He said that the Anambra State Government has been working closely with critical agencies like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Security (DSS) to ensure a free and fair election.
“We are convinced that the relevant bodies are working in the public interest,” he stated.
Mr Adinuba was responding to boasts credited to a political party that the elections would be decided by power and might from above. He said the government would ensure that whoever succeeds incumbent Governor Willie Obiano of the state must emerge through a credible electoral process that reflects clear mandate of majority of voters.
He said the clarification became necessary to calm frayed nerves and avert violent reaction and protests by members of the public who might be angered by such reckless utterances.
According to him, “the people of Anambra State, supported by their Government, are ever ready to protect their state and its impressive progress of the last few years, rather than allow soldiers of fortune and buccaneers to toy with its destiny once again.
“The November 6 vote will be free, fair and transparent. This will be in conformity with the tradition of free polls which have come to define Anambra State political culture in recent times. The 2017 governorship poll and the 2019 general election in the state were the freest in the country.”
He dismissed alleged boasts of access to federal might as outdated and overtaken by rapid civilization in the administrative culture of the state, adding that recent developments in the country have proven that no single force could withstand the collective will of the people.
“Anambra people remember in particular that the same party and its supporters threatened the use of the so-called Federal Might in the November 17 2017 gubernatorial vote in the state, but the result turned out to be a true reflection of the voting pattern of the people.
“Even in Edo State, the same threat was made the main issue in the campaign for the 2018 gubernatorial vote, yet the propagandists lost clearly in the free and fair election. There is no compelling reason why the situation can be different this time in Anambra State.
“We trust the integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari who has consistently assured the nation that free, fair and transparent elections will be one of his major legacies in the country. We have no reason to doubt him, despite the unconscionable behaviour of some people in his party,” Mr Adinuba pointed out.
He advised registered voters in the state to prepare and fully participate in the upcoming election despite threats by alleged party candidates to drop into power from above.
“We, therefore, advise ndi Anambra to countenance the propaganda that the rigging of the forthcoming election with the aid of the Federal Might is a foregone conclusion. Our people are implored not to carry out the protests planned throughout Anambra State which may be hijacked by violent elements. These are trying times in the country.
“The political party which presents the best candidate who will work assiduously for a greater Anambra State will certainly win the November 6 gubernatorial election. God bless Anambra State, the Light of the Nation,” he enjoined.