WITH ALL THESE BELOW ISSUES IN NIGERIA DIRECTLY FACING ANAMBRA AT THE MOMENT, WOULD THERE EVER BE A FREE, FAIR AND CREDIBLE ELECTION COME SATURDAY 16TH NOVEMBER, 2013? FELLOW NIGERIANS, PLS PREDICT AND PROFFER PUNGENT SOLUTIONS TO THIS IMBROGLIO ROCKING THE POLITY AND SAVE OUR DYING DEMOCRACY NOW.


Gunmen Kill Four Anambra-bound Policemen by Etumgbe(m): 7:13am

Gunmen on Thursday killed four policemen who were travelling to Anambra State for election duties.

The policemen were said to be part of those deployed from Osun State for the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State.

It was learnt that the truck they were travelling in was attacked by gunmen at the Benin bypass. Four of them were killed immediately.

It could not however be ascertained whether the attackers were political thugs or armed robbers.

Though effort to confirm the death from the Edo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Foluso Adebanjo, was fruitless, a senior police officer told our correspondent that the command had not been briefed about the incident.

http://www.punchng.com/news/gunmen-kill-four-anambra-bound-policemen/


Ridiculous Statements Made At Anambra PDP rally by Baba_Eleko: 2:09pm On Nov 14

Yesterday, the entire People’s Democratic Party appeared to descend on Anambra to push the gubernatorial candidate, Tony Nwoye into winning an election many pundits think he won’t. He has been involved in litigation over who is candidate for the pasty for the past few months – and has been late to the campaign trail.

Drunk on the wine of now-possible success, the PDP bigwigs at the event – including President Goodluck Jonathan – found it a bit difficult to control their tongues. We bring you some of the statements, thanks to Premium Times, that were so bad, they’re almost unbelievable

“50 per cent of the private jets in Nigeria are owned by Anambra people” – President Goodluck Jonathan

“I told Gov. Obi to hand over to this young man,” – PDP chairman, Bamanga Tukur

“Today we have for the first time in history, a candidate from Anambra North. I’m sure that the people of Anambra North will do anything to put their son, Comrade Tony Nwoye, into the Government House come 2014” – Senator Margaret Okadigbo

“If it is not Panadol it can never be like Panadol. This is a party that is deporting your sons and daughters and demolishing their shops” – Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio said.

“Mr. President, kidnapping in Anambra is a lucrative business” – Governorship candidate, Tony Nwoye

However, it was apparently PDP board of trustees member and billionaire chairman of Orient Petroleum that went on the most expansive roll:

Take 1: “For many years the orphans and widows in this state were neglected, until God brought Jonathan from a village in Otuoke. The same thing happened to Tony Nwoye, from a village called Nsugbe. They have no money,” Mr. Eze said.

Take 2: “That short man called Ngige, we gave him power and he went and joined Awolowo’s people; the people that killed the Igbos.”

Take 3: “Peter Obi, we gave him power, he did not conduct election for eight years. He was busy building mansions and marble houses everywhere.”

Take 4: “Anambra people, let us change your lives while we are still alive.”

And for good measure, he appears to be in tune with the life expectancy average in Nigeria under the leadership of his favourite president.

“”I’m 65 years,” Mr. Eze declared at the rally. “And I’ll die very soon.”

Let no one stand between an old man and his wishes.


Source: http://www.ynaija.com/ngige-joined-awolowos-people-who-killed-the-igbos-see-10-of-the-most-ridiculous-things-said-at-the-pdpanambra-rally-yesterday/


P[b]olice Arrests Accredited Anambra Election Observers In Owerri, Imo State by Abagworo(m): 6:00am[/b]

Anti- democratic forces have unleashed their latest retrogressive onslaught, less than forty-eight hours to the Anambra Gubernatorial election, at civil society activists and groups officially accredited by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the premises of Disney Hotels, Km 4, Owerri-Onitsha road, Owerri, Imo State.
Our Organisation, the Justice and Equity Organisation (JEO) accredited as observer in the Anambra Governorship elections of 16th November, 2013 was the victim of police repression and political game.

To ensure efficiency and credible observation, we have organised a pre-election training and briefing session for our Observers. The occasion was also used to distribute election observation paraphernalia to our agents for the Saturday elections. While this peaceful and unobtrusive process was ongoing, a team of police men, acting ostensibly to protect the interest of some evil minded people swooped on the hotel, arrested all the 180 observers, mobilised by our organisation from across the country and carted away the INEC-provided election observation identification tags among other valuables.

This urgent public notice therefore became expedient in view of the very reliable information at our disposal, on a planned purported police stage-managed drama, wherein the arrested activists would be paraded as hoodlums and common criminals. In fact, the Police is set to display some arms and ammunition to press home its chicanery on the intent and gathering of the comrades.

We are using this medium to appeal to members of the public and the Inspector-General of police to as a matter of urgency call the Police to order. The conduct of an election should not and cannot be an excuse to declare a state of emergency on the people who are supposed to come and exercise their franchise freely. The undue militarisation of Anambra State and its environs had been a cause of concern to well-meaning observers. This high-tension situation informed our choice of Owerri for our training and briefing of mobilised observers. This arrest and detention of well-meaning Nigerians, who have sacrificed their time and comfort for voluntary service in the interest of the nation must be roundly and soundly condemned by all.

We are by this statement further calling on Mr. President, the National Assembly, Party leaders, Inspector-General of Police, the Press, INEC and Nigerians for their intervention ahead of the election.

We hereby admonish the Police authorities to order the immediate release of our members to forestall undue tension during and after the election.

Sincerely yours,

______________

O. Obafunsho


Police arrest 180 thugs with weapons

Meanwhile, reports reaching LEADERSHIP suggest that the Anambra poll may yet be marred by violence: the Imo State police command yesterday arrested about 180 armed hoodlums carrying fake voter cards, official identity cards of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and independent observer identity cards.

The suspected bandits, who were said to be heading for Anambra State ahead of tomorrow’s governorship election, confessed that they were coming from Osun State before they were arrested around 7:30pm by the crack team of the Imo State police command in a hotel in Owerri, while waiting to link their contact persons in Anambra State.

According to the police, items recovered from them include two pump-action rifles, live ammunition rounds, 15 buses and other incriminating materials.

The suspects could not mention the political party they were hired to work for, even as LEADERSHIP gathered that they were paid over N50 million to rig the elections in favour of one of the candidates.

Parading the suspects, the commissioner of police, Muhammad Katsina, warned that the state would no longer be used as breeding ground for criminal activities, stressing that those arrested would face the law.

Katsina said that the heavily armed hoodlums were in the state to cause breach of the peace, and that the operation against miscreants would continue without hindrance.

One of the suspects who identified himself as Salawo Ayodele said that they were members of Justice and Equity Organisation and were hired to monitor the election in Anambra State.

Ayodele revealed that they were paid N10,000 each.


Court cases spring up in Awka, Abuja

Also, with Just a day to the much-anticipated governorship election in Anambra State, there seems to be no end in sight to the barrage of court cases that have characterised events leading to the election.

Yesterday, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja was asked to order the disqualification of Chief Willie Obiano, APGA’s candidate in tomorrow’s governorship election.

The Federal High Court sitting in Awka had, last Wednesday, also commenced hearing on the same matter brought by a human rights lawyer, Jezie Ekejiuba, challenging Obiano’s candidacy on account of multiple registration .

Two indigenes of the state, Ugochukwu Ikegwuonu and Kenneth Moneke, dragged Obiano and his party before the court seeking an order of mandatory injunction compelling the INEC)to strike out Obiano’s name from its record as a candidate in the election.

The plaintiffs equally want the court to declare that Obiano is unqualified to contest the election for allegedly possessing more than one voter cards; for allegedly engaging in multiple registration and for having allegedly supplied false information to INEC.

They also want the court to determine whether by his alleged conduct Obiano was still qualified to contest the election by virtue of the provisions of Sections 12(2), 16(2)(3) and 31(5) of the Electoral Act. During yesterday’s proceedings, Justice Mohammed, after listening to the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Ifeanyi Nrialike, moved an ex-parte motion and granted leave to the plaintiffs to effect substituted service of court processes on Obiano outside jurisdiction.

He added that Obiano could be removed from office if any irregularity is discovered after the election.

The judge also ordered the plaintiffs to paste the processes on the entrance or any other conspicuous parts of his residence at 1 Chief Willie Obiano Street, Aguleri Otuocha, Anambra State.


APC to Jonathan: Live up to your promise on credible poll

Meanwhile, the APC also yesterday asked President Goodluck Jonathan to live up to his promise of a free and fair election tomorrow.

Interim national publicity secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement made available in Lagos, said nothing was on ground in Anambra to suggest that Saturday’s election will be free, fair and transparent, despite the president’s promise.

“Rightly or wrongly in our country, institutions of state take a cue from the president’s body language. They know that members of the ruling PDP who engaged in electoral malfeasance and brigandage during last month’s Delta Central senatorial election were not punished. They know that security agencies that turned themselves to the armed wing of the PDP were not sanctioned. In this context, therefore, the president’s promise of a free and fair election will not mean much to those bent on repeating same in Anambra,’’ the statement read.

APC also said the fact that one of the candidates in Saturday’s election, Willie Obiano of APGA, has continued to evade justice despite a glaring electoral offence committed by him, through his proven multiple registration, does not give anyone much confidence that INEC can indeed be trusted to ensure a level-playing field for all the parties.

“President Jonathan should be careful in staking the credibility of his high office on these elections. His promise of free and fair elections in Ondo did not materialise, as the world knows, and the unprecedented electoral heist in Delta does not back up his administration’s claim that the country’s electoral architecture has improved under his watch.

“That is why we say the president must walk the talk. He should know that talk is cheap. If the institutions of state that have any role to play in the election fail to live up to that role, and the ruling party continues to engage in a flagrant abuse of office by stealing votes in the most blatant of manners, then the president’s promise of a free and fair election would have been rubbished,’’ the party said.


APGA, LP supporters clash in Nnewi

The APC’s warning came just as the APGA and LP supporters almost clashed yesterday at Nnewi, the countryhome of the late national leader of APGA, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. Nnewi is also the countryhome of the LP candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Patrick Ubah. But for the quick intervention of the state governor, Mr Peter Obi, who led the APGA campaign train, supporters of the two political parties would have engaged in a free for all at the former Nkwo Nnewi Triangle.

Trouble started when the APGA campaign train arrived atbthe Nkwo Triangle and discovered that the LP candidate and his supporters had already taken over the area campaigning, distributing materials and sharing money, including dollars, and APGA had earlier prepared the venue for their rally.

As some APGA faithful led by one Igwe were spoiling for war, Chief Ben Obi (Mbuze Agulu) was advising LP people to leave to avoid a showdown. Governor Obi, sensing what was happening immediately sped off. This was how the entire convoy joined him to a safer place. Governor Obi later urged APGA people to avoid anything that could lead to violence in the election.


633 observers to monitor poll

In a related event, about 633 observers have been designated to be observers at tomorrow’s poll. Mr Ibrahim Zikirullah, the chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), stated this yesterday. Zikirullahi said at a news conference in Awka that 600 observers would be deployed in pairs to 300 polling units that have been randomly sampled across the state.

This comes as the Civil Rights Group yesterday raised the alarm over alleged plans by some politicians to influence voting by proxy.

According to him, TMG will closely watch the process and record answers to 36 questions on the conduct of the election and send reports to the National Information Centre.

“This will allow TMG to share with the country a truly representative and detailed picture of the conduct of the poll.

“TMG will also verify the accuracy of the official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the results were not tampered with between the polling unit and collation centres,” Zikirullahi said.

A civil rights group based in Anambra State, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which raised the proxy alarm, accused desperate contestants in tomorrow’s governorship election of purchasing voter cards to be given to their trusted supporters for voting.

In a letter to the state resident electoral commissioner yesterday, signed by the chairman, Board of Trustees of Intersociety, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, the group urged INEC to instruct its officials to ensure that only those their image were reflected in their voter cards were allowed to vote.

They hinted that selling of voter cards in the riverine areas including Anambra East, Anambra West and Ayamelum local government areas was going on and urged the INEC to be vigilant and ensure that their staff did not sell out to the desperate politicians.



MAY GOD HELP NIGERIA AND SET IT FREE FROM ALL THESE 'JEGUDU-JERA' SECTS OF POLICIANS THAT HAD BEEN ENSLAVING US

ANAMBRA DECIDES