Elections in the South-East will be Free and Fair – Abaribe
Nigerians have been reassured by senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, that the instability in the country’s South-East geopolitical region won’t disrupt the region’s 2023 elections.
The Senator representing Abia South District, stated this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, blaming the unrest on external forces who collaborate with some locals to obstruct free and fair elections.
He also called on the five governors in the South-East to collectively find a long-term solution to the instability in the region.
“For some time we have not heard that all the governors have met. They are the chief security officers of their states.”
“When they come together and take a stand everyone will follow, but each of them seems to want to do their own thing separately and it, is not working because this is a regional issue.”
“For example, if you pursue them in Imo they extend themselves to Anambra, if you push them in Anambra they run to Ebonyi, you push them in Ebonyi they run to Enugu.
“So every one of us must come together and work and work to bring peace to Igboland. But this will not affect the election, I tell you. You will see that the elections in the South-East will be free, will be fair and with BVAS the results will show who the people trust or not,” Abaribe added.
In the South-East, numerous Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices have been destroyed by raging hoodlums just weeks before the February 25 presidential election. There are now concerns regarding the security of the general elections after dozens of security personnel were killed by gunmen.
Speaking further, the lawmaker noted that he visited the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) who said there is nothing like Monday sit-at-home in the five states in the zone — Anambra, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu.
“All that is going on is that some merchants of violence and destruction have taken over and commit crimes and when they do that, they now say it is this group or that group,” Abaribe said.
