Ohanaeze: We won’t allow emergency rule in Anambra

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, says the people of the south-east will not allow a state of emergency in Anambra. 

The group said such a decision will cripple business activities as Onitsha is the economic hub of the south-east.

In recent weeks, Anambra has come under attack by gunmen, resulting in the loss of lives and property.

On Wednesday, Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), said a state of emergency might be considered in Anambra to ensure that the November 6 governorship election in the state takes place.

But speaking on the development, Alex Ogbonnia, spokesperson of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, asked the federal government to have a rethink on the matter.

“Looking at it from a genuine point of view, you will see that we have had more killings in Borno, Yobe, Plateau, Benue, Katsina, Niger and even in Kaduna State,” he said.

“This one in Anambra is just a few persons and somebody is contemplating a state of emergency. When they were being killed in hundreds yet elections were held in all those states and now we have a few killings you are contemplating state of emergency.

“Dr. Akunyili was killed about five days ago and as a first step, you are talking of an emergency. This one, instead of thinking of how to contain and counter such gruesome killings, the first suggestion that comes from an attorney-general is a state of emergency. Above all Ohanaeze had already known even before now that we are in doubt if some of the crimes being committed here, is carried out by our boys and do they really have the strategic capacity to commit them.

“Like going to police station discharge all the people in the station and burn it, going to prison yard discharge over 1,000 inmates and no persons caught. Some of these things we begin to wonder whether our people have the strategic capacity to commit these crimes and go undetected.

“So this development is very strange and is coming at a point where every person is thinking that it is time for Igbo to produce the president of Nigeria. We are looking at that people are trying to disarticulate the south-east, create a false impression that they are not in unity, they are ungovernable, they are in crisis and to that extent they cannot produce a president for Nigeria. All these things we are thinking about but we will disappoint them.

“We have appealed to our archbishops and bishops and traditional rulers, and town union president generals to start engaging the youth so that we will disappoint them by making sure that Anambra and other states become calm. And being calm, we will disappoint them by holding elections peacefully in Anambra.

“So we cannot allow a state of emergency in Anambra because Onitsha is the economic hub of Igbo land, in fact, whoever is thinking of state of emergency in Anambra should go and have a rethink because it is not possible and we can’t allow it.”

Willie Obiano, governor of Anambra, had said President Muhammadu Buhari was not planning to impose emergency rule in the state after meeting with the president on Thursday.