The Anambra State government has accused the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming Anambra Governorship election, Senator Andy Uba, of playing politics with the current state of security in the state.
Uba had called of the flag-off of his campaign in Onitsha with less than 24 hours to go, attributing the decision to the current state of security. He also said the postponement was in honour of Dr Chike Akunyili who was recently killed by gunmen.
But the Anambra State Government in a statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Don Adinuba, alleged that Andy Uba suspended his campaign flag-off, billed to hold last Saturday, because he received signal that “President Buhari was unwilling to attend”.
According to Adinuba, “there was no truth in the press release by the APC that the campaign was suspended in honour of Dr Chike Akunyili,” saying the suspension by Uba would be the third time, since President Muhammadu Buhari refused to attend, and that Uba was frustrated because there are no signs that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would attend either.
The release read: “No society plays politics with its security without severe consequences. This is all the more so in a country like Nigeria which is now going through its most difficult security challenges in decades.
“It beats the imagination that the Anambra State branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) should insist in the last three weeks on playing politics with the current security situation in Anambra State in particular and the South-East in general, though there is a greater security crisis in some other parts of Nigeria.
“Anytime violence or murder is reported, as Anambra prepares to conduct a gubernatorial election on November 6, the APC in Anambra State points a finger in the direction of the state government. It does all this as part of the electioneering campaign strategy.”
Adinuba said pointing fingers at the Anambra State government amounts to indicting President Muhammadu Buhari, as he controls the security agencies in the country.
“President Buhari, not Governor Willie Obiano, is the Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces and head of all security agencies in the country. Security is on the exclusive list of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
“Each of the 36 state governors in the federation is merely the titular chief security officer of his state. No governor has control over the police force or the Department of State Security or the Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in his state, let alone any of the armed forces. Even the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG) is supervised by the state police command, like any other state vigilante service.
“The people and government of Anambra State are convinced that the state APC is indicting President Buhari deliberately over security lapses. The party leadership is frustrated with the president for changing his mind about attending the party’s gubernatorial campaign flag-off in the state, causing the Andy Uba Campaign to change the flag-off three times. Even so, there are no indications that even Vice President Yemi Osinbajo can ever attend it.
“The presidency is now fully convinced that there was no primary election or congress held on Friday, June 26, 2021, to nominate the APC candidate in the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.
“President Buhari, a man of immense personal integrity, and Vice President Osinbajo, a leading pastor, have decided to stay away from the Andy Uba campaign for the governorship of Anambra State. They don’t want to be seen as canonizing iniquity.”
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