By Ebube Chukadibia
It does appear that during every electoral season some barbarians and ill-assorted anarchists come determined to foist violence on Anambra State.
Their activities are churning the consciences of all right-thinking humankind. Commonsense teaches that it is not by killing and attacking innocent people that elections are won. These deviants are struggling vainly to make a case of insecurity in the homeland to put the government in bad light.
It is very reassuring that the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, has vowed to get to the root of the ignoble matters and mete out the requisite punishment to the evil doers. He did not mince words in his determination to rid the land of the whole lot desecrating the earth against the Igbo tradition. Of course, it is crucial that the traditional authorities, market leaders, prelates and priests should buy into the drive to cleanse the homestead of these election time evil doers, and thus put Anambra on the pedestal that it cherishes as the light of the nation. It is unconscionable that in this day and age of Anambra rising to great heights under Soludo, a tiny minority of atavists are only sworn to unleashing evil because they want win elections by hook or crook.
The idea of seeing elections as life and death battle is against the Anambra spirit. Governor Soludo is cast in the mold of the 32nd President of the United States of America, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who charged his people during the Great Depression thusly: “The only thing to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
The people must put their destiny into their own hands instead of bending the knee to outlaws who enforce the dastardly act of committing murder in the vain bid to give a bad name to the incumbent government.
It is noteworthy that the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has forcefully stressed that it is against Igbo norms to shed the blood of the innocent. As things stand, only renegades that are working outside the mission and vision of the Igbo identity are behind the onslaught of recent election time killings and violence. The blood-thirsty brigands are only interested in killing, maiming and paying retainer money to some internet tigers to put the blame on the doors of the government.
Already, the measures initiated by the Anambra State Government through Udo-ga-chi and Agunechemba have assured our dear state of security. The hoodlums and their sponsors must be fished out to pay a huge price for their nefarious activities. Ndi-Anambra can never stop saluting Governor Soludo from liberating the eight local governments of Aguata, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North and Orumba South initially held hostage by the criminals. Now that elections are coming and the hoodlums are trying to sabotage the efforts of the government, there is urgent need to redouble efforts to stem the stage-managed and induced insecurity. It is expected that the youths of Anambra State, the union leaders and the vigilantes of the towns and villages will take up he charge of monitoring and enforcing the security measures put in place in concert with the security agencies to stop the menace of election time violence being foisted on Anambra State.
The barbaric invaders are akin to lunatics who have escaped from the asylum and are desperate to seize the sane terrain of the community. This unfortunate scenario must not go on for a second longer. Anambra State is well established as a foremost land of knowledge and camaraderie that must on the pain of death not allow barbaric election period marauders to define us.
Anambra State must have a free and fair election o Saturday, November 8 which Governor Soludo stands solidly to win by a landslide.
Dr. Chukwukadia is an Awka-based public affairs analyst.
