Ohanaeze Warns Against Imposition Of Unpopular Candidate

The Igbo apex social-cultural organisation, the OHANAEZE Ndigbo, says it will not  hesitate to join forces with the people of Anambra state to wage serious war against any form of imposition of unpopular candidate on the people of the state during the forthcoming February 6,2010 governorship election in the state.         

The Secretary – General of  the organisation, Chief Nduka Eya, who dropped the hint in a chat with newsmen in Enugu, challenged the Professor Maurice Iwu-led Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) to conduct credible polls during the exercise or face the wrath of the pan Igbo organisation and that of the people of Anambra state.

His words: “l am appealing to INEC to let us have a credible, clean, transparent, free and fair election in Anambra state come February 6, this year.”

The Igbo umbrella organization, he further· said would no longer fold its arms watching some external forces to create political instability in Igbo land for their own selfish interest.

Chief Eya, therefore, admonished all those warming up for electoral malpractices during the polls to better have a change of heart as it would no longer be business as usual.

He made it clear that OHANAEZE is totally poised in ensuring that unnecessary external influence did not come to play during the election which many political analysts and observers had predicted may be characterised  by controversies.

The 72-year- old erstwhile Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ekiti state, who spoke in his capacity as the Secretary -General of the Igbo umbrella organisation said that the only way to have a credible polls in Anambra state come February 6, this year, was for INEC to avoid having sympathy for any of the contesting governorship candidates, irrespective of his or her political affiliation.

He urged the electoral body to truly play the role of an umpire in the Anambra election, pointing out that any thing on the contrary may ignite serious crisis in the state, and “This cannot be tolerated any longer by OHANAEZE Ndigbo”, he warned.

He, however, explained, that it is only when a leader is truly elected by the electorate that such leader could be accountable to the people, regretting that imposition of candidate on the people has done more harm than good to the nation since the inception of the entity called Nigeria.          

Chief Eya, who advocated option A4 system of voting instead of the current open secret ballot, appealed to all the major stake holders and gladiators in the Anambra polls to play the game according to the  rules, reasoning  that politics of bitterness and rancor  “is an ill wind that does not blow the nation any good”.