The Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, has said that the threat of a declaration of a state of emergency ahead of November 6, 2021, Governorship election in the state, does not have the support of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The reaction of the governor is against the backdrop of the recent comment by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, that the federal government is considering declaring a state of emergency in the state if the recent killings and high level of insecurity persist.
This position was made known by Governor Obiano after a closed-door meeting with President Buhari at the statehouse in Abuja on Thursday, saying that the president does not want any form of intimidation ahead of the polls.
What the Governor of Anambra State is saying
Governor Obiano stated that he has reported the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to Buhari and described as “unfortunate” the comments suggesting that the State of Emergency could be imposed on Anambra to engender security of lives.
He wondered why Malami had not contemplated the imposition of emergency rule in Northern states where there had been a lot of killings and advised the minister to reserve his comments for other issues.
Governor Obiano said, “That’s a very unfortunate comment by the Attorney-General, Malami. Very unfortunate. I also reported that to the President and this is not in the books of the President because he knows that Anambra has been the safest state in Nigeria for seven years plus.”
The governor also rejected assertions that members of the ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state House of Assembly had defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC).
What you should know
- Recall that on Wednesday, Abubakar Malami, after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting announced that the Federal Government may consider declaring a state of emergency in Anambra state ahead of the November gubernatorial election following the wave of insecurity ravaging the state and the southeast region in general.
- Malami said that the move would be made in a bid to tighten security ahead of the November 6 governorship election in the state adding that government will do everything possible to ensure the protection of lives and properties.
- Members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had threatened that they would not allow any election in Anambra state.
