World enews: Buhari Never Declared Emergency Rule In Borno, Katsina, Others, But Considering It For Anambra

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, on Thursday, said there are external middlemen causing violence in Anambra and other states in the South-East.

The group, then, slammed the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), over his statement that the Nigerian Government might declare a State of Emergency in Anambra to guarantee that the November 6 governorship election will hold in the state.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, stated this in an exclusive interview with The Punch.

He described Malami’s pronouncement as unfortunate and suspicious, adding that Igbo people as a whole reject the intention to foist emergency rule on the people and set aside the democratic government.

According to Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, a state of emergency is a situation of national danger or disaster in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures in order to regain control.

A declared state of emergency allows the President to immediately make any desired regulations to secure public order and safety.

The insecurity in Anambra State worsened a few weeks ago with a killing of politicians from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at campaign rallies.

This was followed by attacks on public facilities and the gruesome murder of Dr Chike Akunyili, which some people have blamed on the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Some people have expressed belief that all of these are a build-up to prevent the November 6 governorship election in the state from holding.

On Wednesday, the AGF told State House correspondents that the government had the responsibility to sustain the democratic order and would do the needful to ensure that the election holds.

He said, “No possibility is ruled out by government in terms of ensuring the sanctity of our democratic order, in terms of ensuring that our elections in Anambra hold.

“And you cannot rule out the possibility of declaration of state of emergency where it is established, in essence, that there is a failure on the part of the state government to ensure the sanctity of security of lives, properties and democratic order.”

Reacting in a telephone chat with the Punch on Thursday, the apex Igbo group said, “Ohanaeze already suspected external middlemen on what is happening in the South-East and the laziness in which the Attorney General talked about a State of Emergency in Anambra is suspect.

“The government has not contained the insecurity in the state and now it is contemplating a State of Emergency.

“We have had lots of killings in Borno, Yobe, Katsina, even Benue but some deaths we can count on our fingers, the government is contemplating imposing a State of Emergency in Anambra. It is unacceptable. We reject it. It is unfortunate that the Attorney General is thinking that way.”