Ohanaeze, PANDEF, others knock FG over emergency rule threat in Anambra

*’Imposing a state of emer­gency is not an executive deci­sion alone, it must have the ap­proval of the Senate in the first place’ – Ubani

REACTIONS have continued to trail the Federal Government’s threat to declare a state of emergency in Anambra State following recent attacks and killings ahead of the governorship election on November 6.

Apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said the move is an embarrassment to the nation.

Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, its National Publicity Secretary, yesterday, won­dered why the government was yet to declare a state of emergency in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Bor­no and other Northern states where people are being killed en masse daily. 

He said, “The insecurity situation the Federal Government is referring to in Anambra is nothing to compare to Northern states where people are killed and kidnapped every day. Why didn’t they declare state of emergency in those states yet?” Ogbonnia asked.

“We want to inform our peo­ple that Igbo leaders as well as South-East governors are on top of the situation in Anambra and other states in the region as the challenges we are facing currently will soon be a thing of the past in our region.

“With the investigation so far, people carrying out the gruesome murder in this region are hired from other states and they would soon be exposed so there is no need to nurse any fear,” he said.

Similarly, the Pan Niger Del­ta Forum (PANDEF) through its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ken Robinson, said that even though what is happening in Anambra State is condemnable, it should be regarded as a child’s play compared with what is happening in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Borno, Yobe, Niger states, and even extending to Sokoto State.

Robinson said, “This attitude of Abubakar Malami speaking for the Federal Government is unbecoming of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF). He does not conduct himself in a manner that befits the office that he is occupying. He conducts him self as Attorney General of the Fulani Republic and not Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is threatening a state of emergency in Anambra State, has he declared a state of emergency in Zamfara, Borno Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Yobe states where the bandits are hav­ing a field day, terrorising, killing and maiming innocent citizens at will in the North-West, North- East and now North-Central regions?

“No effort has been made by Malami, the Federal Govern­ment or the spokesman that is the Minister of Information or even the president himself. Instead they are busy threatening a state of emergency in Anambra State. It speaks to the nepotism of this government and vibrates the discriminatory posture and elements of bias and bigotry of Buhari’s administration and it further heights the disaffection we have on our hands and it is totally unacceptable.”

Monday Ubani, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association Sec­tion on Public Interest and De­velopment (NBA-SPIDEL), said that the plan to declare a state of emergency in Anambra State has shown that somebody is behind the insecurity in that state.

“Imposing a state of emer­gency is not an executive deci­sion alone, it must have the ap­proval of the Senate in the first place. The Senate must have input and there are certain conditions that must be evident before declaring a state of emergency in any state.

“From the look of things there are certain states in the Northern region that are qualified for state of emergency that were not de­clared as state of emergency. I think that what is happening in Anambra State is more poli­tics than insecurity. Election is around the corner and obviously some people may want to win the election by all means.

“Recall that some people have been saying that the kill­ings in Anambra State were more of politics than insecuri­ty. They may have been orchestrating it in a bid to say that they want to declare a state of emer­gency. It is becoming very clear by this pronouncement that somebody might have been be­hind the insecurity all in a bid to say, ‘declare state of emergency there’ because there is no other way to explain” Ubani said.