Follow Us on Google
From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
A civil rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has called on the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Armed Forces, especially those in charge of Anambra State Police Command, Zone 13 Police Zonal Command, 302 Artillery Regiment Onitsha and 82 Division, Enugu, to totally refrain from threatening and scaring away registered voters in Anambra State from participating in the Saturday election.
Board Chairman of Intersociety Emeka Umeagbalasi, who made the call in a statement yesterday, said messages of threatening of fire and brimstone on air, if continued by the security agencies who are reportedly warning trouble makers, are capable of scaring away many, if not most of the 2.5m PVC holders and stop them from coming out to vote for the governorship candidates of their choice during the election thereby returning the State to the rank of the “governorship election lowest voting state in Nigeria”.
“As a leading Rights and Democracy advocacy voice and stakeholder in the State’s democratic process since 1999, predating our founding in 2008, it is our observation that such ‘gun culture threats’ have become a recurring decimal in the Anambra Governorship polls since 2000s.
Other News
“This, the named security agencies had consistently done or engaged in using militarisation and weaponisation of voting environments and stifling of civic spaces especially through the so called ‘show of force’ including open street patrols with armored tanks, RPGs, explosives and war battle ready officers and personnel who go about singing war songs and using death threatening words in voting environments and other open arenas especially in broad day light.”
Intersociety also commended the Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Somto Udeze, for promoting democratic ideals, providing tangible constituency projects and driving pre-election advocacy anchored on persuasion and enlightenment instead of intimidation and coercion.
“We therefore call on the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army or military across Anambra and South-East to ensure that their pre-election and election day security operations and law enforcements are well coordinated by being proactive, scientific, tactically noiseless and intelligence-driven; capable of ensuring that Anambra voters massively turnout and securely and safely vote candidates of their choice in the Nov 8, 2025 governorship poll,” Umeagbalasi stated.
