Anambra Guber Polls: APC Raises Alarm On INEC’s Over 22-Hour Curfew

APC-Logo1The All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted the over 22-hours no movement order imposed on Anambra State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying it is a ploy to rig Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

Recall that INEC had restricted movement in Anambra State from 12 midnight on Friday, November 15th, to 10 pm on Saturday, November 16th for the governorship poll.

But in a statement issued yesterday by its interim national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC noted that even during general elections, people are allowed to move around freely from 4 pm on Election Day.

“Election is not war, but a celebration of democracy. Declaring a 22-hour curfew for an election in only one state raises serious questions: What is INEC hiding? Is the curfew meant to give riggers enough time to write and collate their cooked-up results? Are elections and free movement of people incompatible? Why does INEC need a 22-hour curfew to conduct a ‘peaceful and successful’ election in one state? Where in the world is a 22-hour curfew imposed during an election?” it asked.

The party continued that in any case, Anambra does not have the kind of terrain or riverine communities that will warrant waiting for hours for election results to be taken from polling units to the collation centre; hence there is no justification for turning Anambra into a ghost state just to hold a governorship election.

“We therefore call on INEC to reconsider this overstretched curfew if it has no underlying motive for declaring it in the first instance. After all, information at our disposal has it that some decent INEC officials have rejected being part of the Anambra election because they do not want to be tainted by the shenanigans of some of their unscrupulous colleagues who are colluding with do-or-die politicians for ‘thirty pieces of silver’”, it added.

APC said with the creation of 1,973 extra polling units by INEC, out of the original 4,608 units, the election should even be faster as it will take voters less time to complete the accreditation and voting process.

It however warned security agents against the harassment and intimidation of voters come Saturday as was witnessed during the infamous Delta Central Senatorial District bye-election last month.

1 COMMENT

  1. This APC people you like crying out like little babies over nothing. The security agents have already said that no electorate would be allowed to move with security personnel whether office members and non office holders to avoid harassment and intimidation. Only God can enlighten us well enough from these false alarm group called APC.