The Governorship poll in Anambra State on November 18, 2017 as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated.
There are signs that violence could feature during the election became acute recently, when some suspected political thugs were apprehended during a rally by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Hon. Tony Nwoye, at Anaku in Ayamelum local council of the state.
There was report that one person was shot dead, while many others sustained gun shot wounds, when thugs, believed to be working on the orders of a transitional council chairman, invaded the rally ground.
Ever since Nwoye emerged as the governorship flag bearer of APC, his supporters and those of incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano, have been carrying on as if the election is a contest between just the two.
Obiano and Nwoye hail from the same Anambra East local government council. While Nwoye hails from Offianta, Nsugbe, the incumbent is from Aguleri. Prior to the recent incident, apart from minor skirmishes and verbal abuses, the physical attacks were limited to destruction of campaign billboards.
Although one of the daredevil thugs that started shooting sporadically to scare away villagers from the rally was apprehended, the incident further raised apprehensions in the area over the contest between supporters of the two indigenes of Anambra East in the election.
Nwoye had not long ago decried the defacing and destruction of his campaign billboards, even as he pleaded with the governor and APGA to call their thugs to order, saying that “this campaign must be issue based and devoid of any form of violence and acrimonious tendencies.”
Nwoye said it was bad enough that the government imposed unreasonable levies on candidates wishing to mount campaign billboards or post handbills, regretting that after paying the levies hoodlums should be unleashed on the streets to destroy them.
Displaying the receipt from Anambra Signage and Advertising Agency (ANSAA) as evidence of having paid N3m for all his campaign billboards, Nwoye wondered why his should be targeted for destruction.
The government was taken to task over the punitive levy it placed on campaign billboards at the cost of N9m, which many said was targeted at the opposition. However, following the outcry, especially against the background of the claim by opposition that Obiano wants to be the sole candidate in the election, government reduced the fee drastically, pegging it at N1m for each senatorial district.
But, no sooner had the review been effected than vandalism became an issue. Candidates of United Progressives Party (UPP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Osita Chidoka and Oseloka Obaze, had previously cried out against attacks on their supporters, as well as, destruction of their campaign billboards.
The Chidoka campaign organisation cried out that its giant billboards had been defaced by agents of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), lamenting the increasing spate of unprovoked hostilities.
In a statement signed by the Director of Media, Viola Ifeyinwa Okolie, the Osita Chidoka Campaign bemoaned: We want the world to know that early on Thursday morning, agents of Anambra state government, accompanied by heavily armed policemen tore down UPP billboard in Onitsha South local government area, which is one of our major strongholds.
“They were also seen in other locations vandalizing our campaign materials in their childish attempt to remove us from public presence. APGA in their infantile despondency have started vandalizing UPP posters and billboards, while desperately attempting to mop up Osita Chidoka-branded flyers, hand bills, brochures and our other campaign materials.”
Few days ago, the governorship candidate of PDP, Obaze, expressed dismay that not only was his name and face superimposed on the incumbent’s facebook page, but that branded vehicles and campaign billboards are being destroyed in reckless abandon.
But the Director of Operations, Obiano campaign organization, Chinedu Obidigwe, dismissed the complaints of destruction of campaign billboards belonging to opposition candidates as the antics of losers, saying that the fact that Obiano was on a winning streak has frightened the losers.
Obidigwe told journalists that Anambra people has rejected irresponsible politicians, saying that Obiano’s performance in office has already won for him a second term.
There was report that one person was shot dead, while many others sustained gun shot wounds, when thugs, believed to be working on the orders of a transitional council chairman, invaded the rally ground.
Ever since Nwoye emerged as the governorship flag bearer of APC, his supporters and those of incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano, have been carrying on as if the election is a contest between just the two.
Obiano and Nwoye hail from the same Anambra East local government council. While Nwoye hails from Offianta, Nsugbe, the incumbent is from Aguleri. Prior to the recent incident, apart from minor skirmishes and verbal abuses, the physical attacks were limited to destruction of campaign billboards.
Although one of the daredevil thugs that started shooting sporadically to scare away villagers from the rally was apprehended, the incident further raised apprehensions in the area over the contest between supporters of the two indigenes of Anambra East in the election.
Nwoye had not long ago decried the defacing and destruction of his campaign billboards, even as he pleaded with the governor and APGA to call their thugs to order, saying that “this campaign must be issue based and devoid of any form of violence and acrimonious tendencies.”
Nwoye said it was bad enough that the government imposed unreasonable levies on candidates wishing to mount campaign billboards or post handbills, regretting that after paying the levies hoodlums should be unleashed on the streets to destroy them.
Displaying the receipt from Anambra Signage and Advertising Agency (ANSAA) as evidence of having paid N3m for all his campaign billboards, Nwoye wondered why his should be targeted for destruction.
The government was taken to task over the punitive levy it placed on campaign billboards at the cost of N9m, which many said was targeted at the opposition. However, following the outcry, especially against the background of the claim by opposition that Obiano wants to be the sole candidate in the election, government reduced the fee drastically, pegging it at N1m for each senatorial district.
But, no sooner had the review been effected than vandalism became an issue. Candidates of United Progressives Party (UPP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Osita Chidoka and Oseloka Obaze, had previously cried out against attacks on their supporters, as well as, destruction of their campaign billboards.
The Chidoka campaign organisation cried out that its giant billboards had been defaced by agents of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), lamenting the increasing spate of unprovoked hostilities.
In a statement signed by the Director of Media, Viola Ifeyinwa Okolie, the Osita Chidoka Campaign bemoaned: We want the world to know that early on Thursday morning, agents of Anambra state government, accompanied by heavily armed policemen tore down UPP billboard in Onitsha South local government area, which is one of our major strongholds.
“They were also seen in other locations vandalizing our campaign materials in their childish attempt to remove us from public presence. APGA in their infantile despondency have started vandalizing UPP posters and billboards, while desperately attempting to mop up Osita Chidoka-branded flyers, hand bills, brochures and our other campaign materials.”
Few days ago, the governorship candidate of PDP, Obaze, expressed dismay that not only was his name and face superimposed on the incumbent’s facebook page, but that branded vehicles and campaign billboards are being destroyed in reckless abandon.
But the Director of Operations, Obiano campaign organization, Chinedu Obidigwe, dismissed the complaints of destruction of campaign billboards belonging to opposition candidates as the antics of losers, saying that the fact that Obiano was on a winning streak has frightened the losers.
Obidigwe told journalists that Anambra people has rejected irresponsible politicians, saying that Obiano’s performance in office has already won for him a second term.
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