From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
The Anambra State governorship election slated for Saturday, November 6, has received the backing of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), which formally declared its support for the closely-watched governor’s race on Monday.
The upcoming election has raised concerns in the light of the insecurity situation in the country and a declaration of a one-week sit-at-home protest in the South East starting from Friday, November 5, by separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Although IPOB has stated that it has not called for a boycott of the election, there is fear that declaring a sit-at-home during the period of the election is an implied protest against it.
Rising from its national meeting presided over by its leader, Uchenna Madu, MASSOB said the Anambra election must hold on Saturday for the interest of the Igbo people.
In a statement issued Monday by MASSOB National Director of Information, Edeson Samuel, the separatist group noted that the implications of not conducting the election would be grave for the region.
‘That having studied the political, economical, religious and social implications of not having a credible election in Anambra State and the political mourning that may erupt by imposing a non-representative of Ndi Anambra as their governor, MASSOB declares that the Anambra Governorship election slated for November 6th 2021 will hold as announced by INEC,’ the group stated.
Insisting that the election must be peaceful and credible, MASSOB disclosed that it had issued instructions to its 21 local government coordinators, three senatorial zonal leaders, 310 provincial administrators and all its securities to assist in effecting a peaceful and credible election in Anambra State.
The group encouraged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to go ahead without distraction to conduct the governorship election on Saturday.
MASSOB further advised the people of Anambra and other residents ‘to exercise their fundamental and constitutional rights of electing their next governor because Anambra political space will never be in a vacuum.
‘That MASSOB position on this weekend Anambra governorship election is for the interest of Ndigbo, we can never allow or give unfortunate legal room for outsiders to dictate our political and economic future.’
Stressing that its position does not mean derailment of the Biafra struggle for actualisation and restoration, MASSOB said: ‘We must always consider the overall interest of Ndigbo first before group or individual interest.’
