Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka, Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha

Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano Tuesday alerted that his life is in danger following the sudden withdrawal of his security details by the police Tuesday.

Obiano who walked out on the election stakeholders meeting at the Dora Akunyili Development Centre, Awka after raising the alarm having waited for hours without the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris presence, said the action of the police had exposed his life to danger

The governor described the development as unacceptable and a dangerous signal on what would happen ahead of the governorship election, and demanded for the immediate return of his security details to avoid untoward incidents.

He said: “I want my security details returned immediately because I am going to start a fight from there. I am the sitting governor of Anambra State and all the paraphernalia of my office must be there.

“This is unacceptable and a sign of what will happen. Those behind this would be disappointed because we are very ready for the election.”

Speaking to newsmen outside the auditorium, the governor said, “My life is in danger, this morning they withdrew my senior police aides, that is what I am saying and it is unacceptable. I am the governor and the chief executive officer of the state and we will fight this because we are not going to allow that to go.

“I don’t need any replacement. I want to work with the people I have worked with.”

The governor had earlier complained of not being accorded recognition by the moderator when he walked in, despite several insistence, said he had wanted to speak with the Inspector General of Police who was to be at the meeting but was not around and he was not aware when he would come.

But in reaction, the National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the event was a stakeholders’ meeting, and as such no candidate would be accorded any special treatment regardless of his position.

He said the commission insists on equal treatment of all candidates in the election and should not only have equal standing, but must be respected.

Reacting to the governor’s alarm when he eventually arrived the meeting when almost all the candidates and majority of the stakeholders had left, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris the withdrawal of the governor’s ADC and policemen attached to politicians was routine and the police do that during elections and was not in any way done to target the governor.

Police he said decided to withdraw the policemen attached to politicians because of previous experiences where such cops worked for their masters to truncate the process.

He said police have deployed 21,000 officers that would complement the 5,000 in the state, 303 patrol vehicles, three helicopters, one for each of the three zones, 15 gunboats and many more to ensure the safety and peace of the election.