2017: Electoral fraud will ignite crisis in Anambra ―IPAC warns INEC, Police, others

As the race to the 2017 governorship election gathers momentum in Anambra State, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Police and other concerned bodies in the state against subverting the will of the populace to forestall the ignition of crisis of monumental proportion.

The political body told the two institutions, which play pivotal roles in the conduct of elections, to be resistant to all forms of dictations from interested political gladiators to avert anarchy in the state.

The body also passed confidence vote on Governor Willie Obiano, in expression of commendations on some of the landmark achievements of his administration since inception on March 8, 2013.

This was part of the resolutions reached on Friday when the Chairman of IPAC in Anambra, Comrade Bath Igwedibia, led leaders of all political parties operating in Anambra on a courtesy visit on the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Anambra State, Dr Nkwachukwu Orji.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not represented at the meeting.

Igwedibia said there is need for the INEC and police to be apolitical to avert any crisis before, during and after the November 18 Governorship election in the State.

“What we expect INEC and police to do is that, they must not be dictated to. They must comply with the electoral acts very rigidly.

Police and INEC must not be used for electoral fraud, because they belong to Nigerians and not any individual.

“They must not force any candidate on Anambra and this can only happen if they allow the electorate to freely choose their leader, because we want Anambra of tomorrow to be better than today.

“The police in particular must not tolerate intruders from coming to Anambra to foment trouble, because anything contrary to the wish of Anambra people during the election will cause crisis and what we want is peace before, during and after the election, because we all belong to the same family”, he said.

Igwedibia said the confidence vote passed in appreciation of the Obiano led-administration efforts was targeted at bolstering his morale to be able to open up Anambra to more development.

“You can now see that all political parties in Anambra are one. We operate like a family. If you look critically, there is no inter-party crisis and this is how IPAC has been operating at the federal level and it will go down to the ward level because Nigeria and Anambra need peace and unity.

REC Orji, who praised IPAC for brooding on how Anambra can achieve peace, said the revolutionary transformation, especially, security in the State being carried out by the current Government will continue, appealing to all registered political parties for the November 18 election to give peace a chance to forestall the programmes from being truncated, which he insisted that the November 18, Governorship election is sacrosanct.