By our reporter/ The federal government on Wednesday threatened to declare a state of emergency in Anambra to ensure peaceful conduct of the November 6 governorship election in the state.
The attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami who made the disclosure shortly the federal executive council (FEC) meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja, said the government is determined to ensure a hitch-free election in the state.
According to the minister, government would take proactive measures to ensure that the democratic order was kept safe.
“When our national security is attacked, and the sanctity of our constitutionally guaranteed democracy is threatened, no possibility is ruled out,” the AGF told state house correspondents.
“As a government, we have a responsibility to ensure the sustenance of our democratic order. As a government, we have a responsibility to provide security to life and properties.
“So, within the context of these constitutional obligations, of the government or the desire to establish democratic norms and order, there is no possibility that is out ruled.
“The government will certainly do the needful in terms of ensuring that our elections are held in Anambra in terms of ensuring necessary security is provided, and in terms of ensuring protection is accorded to lives and properties.
“So, what I’m saying in essence, no possibility is out ruled by government in terms of ensuring the sanctity of our democratic order, in terms of ensuring that our elections in Anambra holds, and you cannot out rule possibilities inclusive of the possibility of declaration or state of emergency where it is established, in essence, that there is a failure on the part of the state government to ensure the sanctity of security of lives, properties and democratic order.
“So, our position as a government is this elections are going to hold necessary security in terms of democratic order most certainly prevail for the purpose of this election.
“So, we resolves to have these elections the elections are going to hold and no possibilities are ruled out in terms of ensuring the provision of security, for the purpose of the conduct of the election, as well as Anambra is concerned,” Malami said.
Meanwhile, the Anambra government has faulted the federal government over its threat to declare emergency rule in the state.
The state commissioner for information, CDon Adinuba, who stated this in an interview with Channels Television, said the move is politically motivated.
According to him, the recent happenings in the state do not warrant a declaration of emergency rule, adding that residents are going about their normal activities.
“Nigerians are outraged by the threat of the honourable attorney-general and minister of justice of the federation, a senior advocate of Nigeria,” he said.
“Since the renewed violence in Anambra state, which we believe is politically motivated, not more than 15 persons have been killed.
“How many persons have died in Borno, Niger, Kaduna, Yobe, Zamfara? Even Imo, which is APC-controlled, and Ebonyi, [also] APC-controlled, has anybody threatened emergency rule in any of these states?
“For the past seven years, Anambra state has remained the safest state, most stable in Nigeria. We remained the only state in the country that for the past seven years, we have not experienced a single bank robbery.
“What is going on here is politically motivated and the declaration by the attorney-general of the federation is a confirmation.
“I don’t want us to live in denial. What prompted the attorney-general of the federation to make that declaration is pure politics. There is no point being in denial.
“I have asked a very simple question: What is the situation in Borno, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Adamawa and Taraba? Elections were held in all these states, free and fair, declared by INEC.
“What is so special that the federal government of Nigeria should be contemplating a state of emergency. It is all about politics. There is nothing that has not been done to ensure that the right candidates do not participate in the election, including going as far as Birnin kudu.
Also on Wednesday, the country’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in it’s reaction, asked the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to perish the thought of imposing a state of emergency in Anambra State.
According to the party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the move to foist an emergency rule in Anambra state was a ploy by the APC-led government to suppress the people, manipulate the process and rig the governorship election for the APC and its candidate.
Ologbondiyan asked the APC and its administration to come clean on their role in the sudden rise of insecurity in Anambra.
“This demand is predicated on apprehensions in the public space that the spate of insecurity in Anambra is contrived to heighten tension in the state so as to derail the democratic process to the advantage of the APC.
“The PDP insists that the Federal Government has the capacity to ensure peace in Anambra before, during and even after the election, if it so desired.
“We therefore invite the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Federal Government to be guided accordingly. Our party also charges the people of Anambra state to remain calm and alert as well as take steps within the ambits of the law to resist plots by the APC to derail the electoral process in its inordinate ambition to seize Anambra through the back door,” he also said.
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