Towards Hitch-Free Poll In Anambra

Barring unforeseen negative circumstances, the indigenes and residents of Anambra State will, tomorrow, November 6, turn out in their number from every nook and cranny of the state to elect a new governor that will take over from the incumbent, Willie Obiano, whose second tenure expires on March 17, 2022.
The off-season election has been generating so much anxiety among the people of the South-East following the wanton destruction of lives and property in that region by heartless and criminal elements in recent times. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been spasmodically named in connection with the orgy of violence, particularly because of its professed undertaking to make certain that the November 6 election does not hold.
In one of the most uncertain elections in Nigeria’s history, 18 candidates are lobbying the hearts and votes of the Anambra people. As a bargaining chip, IPOB has vowed that unless its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is released from detention unconditionally, on or before November 4, the entire South-East will be on lockdown from November 5 (a day before the Anambra governorship election).
Kanu is being tried on an amended seven-count charge of alleged treason, secession and terrorism for which he had pleaded “not guilty”; and the trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja has been adjourned to November 10, 2021, when his lawyers will be expected to raise objections to the charges.
IPOB has also warned the people of Anambra to remain indoors throughout the sit-at-home order for their safety. It is pertinent to note that the organisation has been enforcing the Monday sit-at-home directive in the South-East with ferocious venom since it became public knowledge that Kanu had been arrested by the Federal Government. 
Although the body has denied directing a boycott of the governorship election in a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the proscribed group is too clever by half as it reiterated its warning on lockdown if Kanu was not released from custody. “For the sake of clarity, what we said was that the entire Biafraland would be locked down from November 5 to November 10, 2021, if the Federal Government failed to release our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, unconditionally”, he said.
INEC had expressed concerns about the Anambra gubernatorial election and warned against the constitutional crisis that might engulf the state if the situation persisted. Its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, affirmed the fears during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Abuja recently. Recall that last May, the INEC office in Awka was attacked wherein non-sensitive materials and vehicles were wrecked.
Both the voters and the candidates are in a panic. The buildup is so unseemly that even contestants cannot openly campaign or make “empty or substantive” promises to voters. Some candidates held election campaigns in faraway Lagos, hoping that the information would spread more than 407 kilometres to reach people in Akwa and other areas. This is the dark atmosphere in the most important political and economic capital of the South-East.
Regardless, INEC has restated its commitment to go on with the election as scheduled. The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, has ordered a major overhaul of the security landscape in Anambra ahead of the election. Consequently, 34,587 police personnel, including two DIGs, five AIGs, 14 Commissioners of Police, 31 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 48 Assistant Commissioners of Police as well as three helicopters have been deployed to the state to ensure adequate security for the conduct of the poll.
It is worth noting that at this critical moment, the impact of IPOB cannot be quelled, because the group’s problem is pervasive in the South-East for the past few years, trying to discredit governance and authority in the whole area. This group of agitators, hastily proscribed as terrorists by the Federal Government, has consistently carried out violent protests in the entire region against Kanu’s incarceration. Hence, for peace to reign, the Federal Government should dialogue with the group to ensure a smooth election.
This ill wind will blow no one any good. A militarised Election Day by IPOB or the state is inharmonious with free and fair election and public interest. The tense atmosphere will only benefit dubious politicians, waiting to use the apathy of voters to seize the whole process and impose an unpopular candidate on the state. It has also set dangerous priorities for the entire region. IPOB and Anambra should not succumb to this hushed attempt to set the country back.
Contrary to the blanket iron-fit approach of the Biafran group and its probable effect on the election, the body should subject its campaign for a fair deal for the Igbo Nation and Nnamdi Kanu within the Nigerian corporate existence to the judicial process for peace sake. Bloodletting and crude aggression are neither in the interest of the group nor of the region at large. 
Also, IPOB and its supporters should be more cautious and trust the judiciary, because it is the last hope of the ordinary person. The continued siege of the people they vowed to defend has been socially and economically counterproductive, and the political turn of events is waiting to destroy their beleaguered fortunes for the worst.
Without a doubt, the Anambra election is a test case for the 2023 general election. This should not be a matter of life and death. It must be free, fair and credible, and the results must reflect the will of the people. Therefore, every effort must be made to ensure its success. Citizens must ensure that they come out to vote or live with the consequences.
Voters must exercise their privileges freely and fearlessly without intimidation. Politicians, their agents and supporters must maintain order and peace during the election. We believe that if all parties concerned follow the rules, the election will be successful. Most importantly, let the INEC ensure that the votes count.