The Executive Governor
of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, had Tuesday in Awka, the state capital,
raised alarm over the sudden withdrawal of his security details by the Nigeria
Police Force, early Tuesday, reports ITRealms.
The governor who staged
walked out protest before the election stakeholders meeting at the Dora
Akunyili Development Centre (DADC), Awka, after raising the alarm and having
waited for hours without the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris
presence, declared that “his life is in danger.”
Describing the
development as unacceptable and dangerous signal on what would happen ahead of
the governorship election, immediately demanded for the return of his security
details to avoid untoward incidents.
“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.”
Addressing newsmen shortly
after outside the Centre, Obiano 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.”
In a related
development, ITRealms reports that 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.
Responding, 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.
Ozo Nweke Ozo in Awka with additional report from The Sun/GEE
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