Anambra State Indigenes Lawyers Forum(ASILF), has frowned at the alleged threat by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra to disrupt the November 6 governorship election in the state.
Speaking at an emergency press conference on the state of affairs in their home state, the president of the forum, Joe Nwokedi said that whether anybody likes it or not, there must be election in Anambra State and a peaceful one at that.
According to him, IPOB must not scare or try to disrupt the election, adding that doing that would even work against them.
He said that some of the demands of IPOB are germane, especially the issue of marginalization of the South East in the scheme of things in the country and the other injustices being meted to Ndigbo in Nigeria.
He stressed that any attempt to disrupt legitimate businesses or the election would not augur well for them.
Nwokedi said that IPOB should be made to know that they are trying to expose themselves negatively to the international community and that might warrant declaring them a terrorist organisation.
Also, the publicity secretary of the forum, Anene Nwadukwe, also frowned at the threat by the Attorney General of the federation, Abubakar Malami to declare a state of emergence in Anambra State.
According to him, the threat exposed the Attorney General’s deep seated hatred for the Igbo.
He said that section 305 of the Nigerian constitution stated unambiguously, the conditions under which a state of emergency could be declared,adding that Anambra has in no way got to that point.
He said that a state that is about to witness an important election would naturally be tensed up and observed that what is happening in Anambra cannot be compared with what is happening in states like Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara and yet the Attorney General has not threatened to declare a state of emergency in those states.
Also contributing, Malizu Iwodoh insisted that there must be election in Anambra in order to avoid constitutional crisis.
He appealed to IPOB to exercise restraint and allow the people of Anambra to elect who would rule them in the next four years.
He said that the threat of state of emergency by the Attorney General is counter productive as it is the wrong thing to say at this point.
Chidi Kingsley Okeke in turn condemned the burning of houses as well as heightening the tension in Anambra state.
He said that what IPOB should be concerned about is electing credible people as governors and members of the National Assembly so that they would legitimately champion the Igbo cause and bring justice to the people.