Anambra poll: ‘Buhari, Abubakar, Kukah should wade into IPOB lockdown threat’

A Civil Society Organisation, Civil Society Committee for Anti-fraud election security, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to rescind its threats on a 5-day lockdown of the South East.

The group also called on former President, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Rev. Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, to reach out to the President soliciting his cooperation in addressing the threats.

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Addressing newsmen on Wednesday, the founder, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, said treating the threats with levity by ignoring the group rather than calming the agitators would further escalate the situation.

He said his group established a situation room for the poll following alleged tactical plans by some political gladiators to rig the polls, which he said would not be good for the nation’s nascent democracy.

“We are here to address certain critical threats which if not checkmated will affect the people’s choice.

“Among them is that of IPOB warning people to stay at home for five days, before and after the election.

“We appeal to President Buhari to realize the need to respond to the agitators rather than ignore them.

“As a father of the nation, which Southeast is part of, we want to humbly request he speaks to them so we can have a peaceful election.

“This ones doesn’t need to be ignored. It is their right to be agitated, but it is your right to calm them down. That is what leadership is all about.

“We also want to make a passionate appeal to former President Abdulsalami Abubakar. You intend to come to the state to sign a peace accord with the contestants. But before then, there is a serious need for you to reach out to Mr President and solicit his cooperation in addressing the IPOB threats.”

Iyere said he had reached out to major political parties in the race on the need for them to lend their voice in the appeal, but regretted that only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) honoured the invitation

The ADC National chairman, Mr Raph Nwosu, and the running mate of the PDP candidate, Mrs Azuka Enemo, who spoke on behalf of their parties, called for dialogue between the federal government and the pro-Biafran group for a peaceful election.

On his part, a former youth leader, Ohaneze ndigbo, Tony-Uche Ezekwelu, called for the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a panacea for a peaceful poll in Anambra.