We are shocked to the bone marrow at the level of desperation of Governor Soludo and the APGA-led state government against a widow whose husband was kidnapped and killed as the then sitting member representing the constituency.”
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Anambra State Labour Party (LP) Caucus in the National Assembly has accused Governor Chukwuma Soludo of plotting to use non-state security personnel and touts to intimidate opposition parties during Saturday’s bye-elections in the state.
The polls, scheduled for August 16, will be held in Onitsha North 1 State Constituency and the Anambra South Senatorial District.
In a statement issued on Friday in Awka, the caucus, made up of two senators and six members of the House of Representatives, alleged that the governor and his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), had perfected plans to deploy members of the state’s security outfit, Udogachi, crude revenue enforcers known as ndi Aka odo, and other non-state actors to take control of voting points.
“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, popular as ndi Aka odo, and sundry non-state actors to take over the various voting points for the bye-elections,” the statement read.
“The plan is to use these State Government-controlled agents to scare away prospective voters not aligned to APGA from the polling units. 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,” it added.
The lawmakers drew particular attention to the Onitsha North 1 race, saying: “For the case of Onitsha North Constituency 1, we are shocked to the bone marrow at the level of desperation of Governor Soludo and the APGA-led state government against a widow whose husband was kidnapped and killed as the then sitting member representing the constituency.”
The caucus called on the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, the Commanding Officer of Field Artillery in Onitsha, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the DSS Director in Anambra, and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to deploy their personnel for the polls.
According to them, such deployment is necessary to “restore voter confidence in the election, as well as protect the lives of those involved in the process.”
They stressed that “the whole essence of democratic governance revolves around freedom of choice, made possible by free and fair elections,” describing the Anambra bye-elections as “a litmus test on our country’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 warned against skewing the process to favour any individual, noting that as an off-season election, the exercise would attract the attention of political parties, candidates, observers, and the media.
“As a people, we must therefore strive to ensure that everyone plays by the rules,” the statement concluded.
The statement was 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.