Awka – A coalition of civil society organizations in the southeast zone have said that only a timely reversal of sit-at-home protest by agitators or shift of the election for one month by INEC, remains the two acceptable options going forward in the upcoming Anambra governorship election already slated for November 6, 2021.
The Coalition comprising International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), the Southeast Zone of the Civil Liberties Organization (Southeast CLO) and the Southeast Based Coalition of Democracy and Human Rights Organization (SBCHROs) said in a statement on Monday, that the threat by agitators to embark on sit-at-home protest at the time of the poll and militarization of state by security agencies have given them cause to doubt INEC’s readiness to go ahead with the Anambra Governorship Election on November 6, 2021.
The joint statement signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chidimma Udegbunam (Intersociety), Prof Jerry Chukwuokoro & Okezie Kelechi, (SBCHROs) and Comrade Aloysius Attah (Southeast CLO), noted that INEC’s assurance on the scheduled poll, was totally contrary to the current realities on the ground .
The coalition explained that if the Commission is truly ready to conduct an all-inclusive and credible Governorship Election in Anambra State, it ought to be deeply worried and concerned and should not have given such “assurances of the graveyard.”
While calling on the agitators to reverse their scheduled one week sit at home which from all indications was targeted to disrupt the Anambra governorship polls, the coalition said in the event the former becomes irreversible, the Independent National Electoral Commission will have no other reasonable option than to capitalize on its constitutional and statutory ‘escape routes’ by shifting the Election for one month or from 6th November to 6th December 2021.
It also contended that the declaration of “no election in Biafra states” was a plot by the agitators to discourage and scare away Anambra voters from voting in the Anambra Governorship Poll, forcing hundreds of thousands of independent and conscientious voters into their homes or to stay indoors to avoid being attacked or killed or losing valuable properties.
Quoting sections Sections 178 (2) of the country’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 25 (8) of the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended), the coalition noted that the legal provisions give room for poll shift by INEC, as it stated that “election into the office of governor shall be held not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder or outgoing governor.
“In the case of Anambra Governorship Poll, therefore, the tenure of office of the outgoing Governor of the State elapses on 17th March 2022.
“This means that INEC was on point by fixing the Poll “not earlier than 150 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last or outgoing holder (William Mmaduabuchukwu Obiano).
“INEC will also be on point if the Poll is shifted to 6th Dec 2021 which is still within the literal letters or meaning of ‘not earlier than 150 days’ or ‘not later than 30 days to the last holder’s office term expiration,” the group stated.
“Apart from proving the agitators right or wrong by shifting the date of the Poll and if they target and impose another sit-at-home to disrupt the Poll, this will also enable the tensions and fears created and inflicted on the general population, especially the voters, to drastically reduce and provide the Commission and other stakeholders, including security agencies, political parties, their candidates and agents to re-strategize, including reducing fears and deploying peace and dispute resolution mechanisms and demilitarization of the electoral space.
“The Commission must also begin the process of introducing a mixture of electronic and manual voting for subsequent polls and reducing militarization of the electoral process and high cost of same,” it added.
