The Federal Government has come under fire over threat to impose a state of emergency in Anambra over insecurity.
The Federal Government has been criticized for expressing its readiness to declare a state of emergency in Anambra ahead of the November 6 governorship election in the state.
KanyiDaily recalls that the AGF and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami had said that the FG will do everything in its power to ensure that election is held in Anambra despite the wave of attacks, killings and insecurity in the state.
Many Nigerians and groups are wondering why the government would threaten to declare a state of emergency in Anambra while ignoring Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Niger where kidnapping, killings, and arson are ongoing in large scale.
FG’s Threat An Embarrassment To The Nation – Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apex Igbo socio-cultural group, described the threat by the Federal Government to declare state of emergency in Anambra State over insecurity challenges as embarrassment to the nation.
Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in a telephone interview with Daily Independent in Enugu on Wednesday wondered why the government was yet to declare state of emergency in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Borno and other Northern states where people are being killed daily en masse.
He said, “The insecurity situation the Federal Government is referring to in Anambra is nothing to compare to Northern states where people are killed and kidnapped every day. Why didn’t they declare state of emergency in those states yet? Ogbonnia asked.
“We want to inform our people that Igbo leaders as well as South-East governors are on top of the situation in Anambra and other states in the region as the challenges we are facing currently will soon be a thing of the past in our region.
“With the investigation so far, people carrying out the gruesome murder in this region are hired from other states and they would soon be exposed so there is no need to nurse any fear.”
Buhari-led APC Wants To Manipulate Anambra Guber Election – PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also kicked against plans by the Buhari-led APC Government to impose a state of emergency in Anambra State.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP accused the APC of planning to use to State of Emergency to suppress the people, manipulate the process and rig the governorship election for its candidate.
PDP said, “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.”
Plan Reaffirms Discriminatory Posture Of Buhari’s Govt— PANDEF
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has condemned the plan by the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Anambra, stressing that it reaffirms discriminatory posture of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
PANDEF in a chat with Daily Independent on Wednesday, through its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ken Robinson, said that even though what is happening in Anambra State is condemn able, it should be regarded as a child’s play compared with what is happening in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Borno, Yobe, Niger states, and even extending to Sokoto State.
Robinson said, “This attitude of Abubakar Malami speaking for the Federal Government is unbecoming of the Attorney General of the Federation(AGF). He does not conduct himself in a manner that befits the office that he is occupying. He conducts him self as Attorney General of the Fulani Republic and not Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“He is threatening a state of emergency in Anambra State, has he declared a state of emergency in Zamfara, Borno Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Yobe states where the bandits are having a field day, terrorising, killing and maiming innocent citizens at will in the North-West, North- East and now North-Central regions?
“No effort has been made by Malami, the Federal Government or the spokesman that is the Minister of Information or even the president himself. Instead they are busy threatening a state of emergency in Anambra State.
“It speaks to the nepotism of this government and vibrates the discriminatory posture and elements of bias and bigotry of Buhari’s administration and it further heights the disaffection we have on our hands and it is totally unacceptable.”
Sa MBA Mocks FG Over Killings In Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfra, Sokoto, Niger
Likewise, a group under the aegis of Southern and Middle-Belt Alliance (SaMBA) berated the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, over emergency rule threat in Anambra.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Prince Rwang Pam Jnr, the group reminded Malami that despite the“killings festival” in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfra, Sokoto and Niger states, elections were conducted in those states without a declaration of a state of emergency.
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, that a state of emergency may be declared in Anambra for the conduct of November 6, governorship election in the state.
“It is surprising that the Attorney General of the Federation will make such statement seeing that such statement may lend credence to the suspicion that the crisis in Anambra State is being orchestrated by some clique in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
“Elections were conducted in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Niger states despite the “killings festival” that are going on in those states, and the AGF did not talk about declaring state of emergency in those states.
“We note that security forces have moved into the South-East region to secure lives and property and therefore call on Malami to bury the thought of declaring a state of emergency in the state for the conduct of November 6 governor ship election”, the group stated.
North-East More Qualified For Emergency, Ubani Tells FG
Monday Ubani, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development (NBA-SPIDEL), said that the plan to declare a state of emergency in Anambra State has shown that somebody is behind the insecurity in that state.
Ubani said, “Imposing a state of emergency is not an executive decision alone, it must have the approval of the Senate in the first place. The Senate must have input and there are certain conditions that must be evident before declaring a state of emergency in any state.
“From the look of things there are cert a in states in the Northern region that are qualified for state of emergency that were not declared as state of emergency. I think that what is happening in Anambra State is more politics than insecurity. Election is around the corner and obviously some people may want to win the election by all means.
“Recall that some people have been saying that the killings in Anambra State were more of politics than insecurity. They may have been orchestrating it in a bid to say that they want to declare a state of emergency. It is becoming very clear by this pronouncement that somebody might have been behind the insecurity all in a bid to say, ‘declare state of emergency there’ because there is no other way to explain.
“If you have not declared a state of emergency in the entire North-East where there has been more killings and death on a daily basis, is it Anambra State that is now more insecure than any other state in the country?
“If those conditions that warrant the imposition of state of emergency are not there, the president cannot do that. I don’t think that Anambra State is more insecure than other states in the country.”
Meanwhile, Governor Willie Obiano has warned the ruling APC to stop playing politics with the insecurity in Anambra State.
