By Lawrence Njoku, Southeast Bureau Chief
Since Saturday, 25 February, in which “structure-less” Labour Party (LP) created a major upset in the Southeast, the relative peace in the zone seems to have taken a flight as political actors make desperate plans for the March 18 governorship and State House of Assembly elections. There are fears and threats of war in the polity.
While, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi states would be voting for fresh governors and lawmakers, Imo and Anambra states would only vote for members of the State House of Assembly. Enugu would have additional responsibility to vote a senator for Enugu East Senatorial zone.
The election for the position did not hold last month in the area, following the gruesome killing of the LP’s candidate, Oyibo Chukwu three days to the exercise.
The INEC had in response shifted the election in the area and reschedule it to hold on March 18 to enable the LP produce a replacement and participate fully.
In Enugu state, few days after the last elections, rumours began to circulate about plots to compromise the governorship and Assembly elections, using the services of political thugs and officials of the electoral commission by one of the political parties.
One of the governorship candidates in the state, Frank Nweke, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) had accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of “arming thugs” ahead of the elections. He told journalists that the party was also planning to compromise INEC officials and ad hoc staff to bypass the use of BVAS and generally disrupt the exercise. He had named an official of the commission as being the point’s person for the job.
But the Campaign Council of the PDP in the state, dismissed it as “disingenuous effort at preemptive excuses for his expected abysmal outing in the exercise.”
Spokesperson for the Campaign Council, Nana Ogbodo, had said that Nweke’s impact on the polls would end with “making preposterous conjectures”, adding that Nweke had only succeeded in making the ballot papers longer than necessary.
Nweke’s allegation was shortly followed by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) in the state, which hinted of plot by some individuals to unleash wide-scale violence in the state during the governorship election.
Chairman of the CUPP in the state, Mr. Ogbonna Festus, cautioned against moves by some desperate politicians to turn the state into a theatre of war.
Ogbonna said it was worrisome that a key member of the ruling party had been issuing all manner of threats to Catholic priests in the state. He charged the security agencies to brace up for the challenge ahead.
The group urged the people of Enugu State “not to be intimidated by those who do not mean well for the state.”
At the weekend, the Labour Party had called for immediate auditing of the guns approved for purchase by the Federal Government to complement the services of the Vigilante Security Services, following the alleged arrest of some political thugs who attempted to use them to create chaos in Isiuzo local government council.
The party had also raised worries about alleged plots to compromise the electoral process in the state, even as it vowed not to watch while the ugly incident festered.
In Abia State, the quest to replace incumbent governor, Okezie Ikpeazu is unsettling the state. Aside from the deep-rooted animosity within the PDP over the choice of the governorship candidate, Okey Ahiwe, there is also a misunderstanding in the party over the actual running mate to the guber candidate, between Okey Igwe and Dr Jasper Uche. Igwe was the running mate to the late Prof Eleazar Ikonne and was said to have been replaced by Uche after Ahiwe emerged. Members are however divided over Igwe and Uche. Igwe, it was gathered had also taken the issue to court.
Last week, the APGA in the state had alleged plot to rig Saturday’s elections. The party’s governorship candidate, Prof. Greg Ibe had said that his opponents were threatening to use the flaws noticed during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections to subvert the will of the people.
The allegation from the party followed a viral video showing supporters of one of the candidates in the election threatening to attack anyone who tries to stop the enthronement of their benefactor. The leader of the support group who addressed his audience in Igbo language had encouraged young people to feel “free to do anything that could bring victory to our candidate on the election day”, assuring that no harm would come their way.
But the governor appears determined to enthrone his successor. Aside from efforts to mend fences with some of those that fell out with him, he has also tried to woo workers in the state, majority of whom he has not paid salaries for several months.
Last week, Ikpeazu announced automatic salary upgrades across board for workers, assuring that Ahiwe would implement it if elected into office.
FOR Imo State, the attack on the country home of Ifeanyi Ozoemenam, the PDP candidate for Okigwe, in the State House of Assembly election has continued to raise concerns over the security of life and property in the area during the election. It was gathered that the gunmen who arrived at the residence in a sienna vehicle in the afternoon, allegedly threw explosive devices into houses and vehicles parked within the compound, apparently after missing their target and drove away.
The state is participating only in the election of House of Assembly members. Sources indicated that the desperation by the political parties to retain or supplant those currently serving is creating security issues.
In Ebonyi State, the PDP said it had uncovered a plot by the APC government to cause mayhem and disrupt the forthcoming elections.
A statement by the Director, Media and Publicity of the party’s campaign, Chief Abia Onyike, alleged that APC leaders and chieftains had boasted that anybody who came out on “Saturday and refuses to vote for their party will be killed. This is a terrible and strange development in the history of elections in Nigeria.”
Onyike who claimed that they had it on good authority that the ruling party imported thugs known as the “Warriors” from Kogi State, then, alerted the security agencies in the state to forestall the breakdown of law and order.
A few days ago, the governorship candidate of the APGA, Prof Bernard Odoh was declared wanted by the police over the gruesome murder of a traditional ruler, Eze Christopher Ewa. Odoh, who denied any role in the killing of the Monarch, described it as another plot to intimidate him and his supporters. He insisted that the allegation was “politically motivated and intended to undermine my chances of winning this Saturday’s governorship election in Ebonyi state of which I am the leading frontrunner”.
He said the, “the persons listed in the said letter as being declared wanted are APGA supporters/members from my Umuezeokaohia community, just as APGA has supporters in all villages and polling units across the 13 Councils of Ebonyi state.
The South-East Council of Traditional Rulers said they were privy to rumours circulating in the region that some elements want to apply violence to disturb or disrupt the forthcoming governorship and State Assembly elections.
They stated this in a statement jointly signed by Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, Chairman, South-East Council of Traditional Rulers and Chairman, Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers; and Igwe Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha and Chairman, Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers.
Other signatories were Eze Joseph Nwabeke, Chairman, Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers; and Eze E.C. Okeke, the Eze Udo 2 and Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers.
According to the statement, the royal fathers are seriously concerned about this development and would like to appeal to all political parties to know that elections are not ‘do or die’ affair.
It noted that; “the beauty of democracy is that people, whether in government or out of government, live in free society”.
The monarchs said that the zone had witnessed unnecessary violence and bloodshed in recent times due to insecurity, and therefore, urged youths in the area to refrain from being used as thugs before, during and after the upcoming elections.
“All the youth, whether indigenous or not in the South-East, should not lend themselves as tools in the hands of political parties for the purpose of causing violence on the election day.
“Political parties should honour the peace accord they signed by ensuring that they do not recruit and arm thugs to disrupt the elections,” they advised.
The monarchs also urged that: “Law enforcement agencies should equally be professional and impartial to promptly and firmly stop or deal with those who try to commit electoral offences.”
On Sunday, 12 March, former governor of the old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo harped on the need for the electorate to imbibe peace and reject “calls to violence and go to your registered polling units on Saturday, March 18 to vote”.
Nwobodo stated that creating violence in the election in any guise would not benefit the society, even as he mourned the killing of Oyibo Chukwu, saying that those “who murdered him will not end well”.
Nwobodo explained that spilling blood, harm and injuries of whatever kind in the name of an election would not impart on society, rather would inflict wounds that would not heal in a long time and urged political parties in the process to exercise restraint.
Source: The Guardian
