'You Can’t Stop Anambra Elections' - Police Tells IPOB

The police yesterday allayed fear over the recent threat by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to disrupt the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State.

The Police Commissioner Garba Umar said no one, including the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) can stop the polls.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the police are capable of ensuring a peaceful election in the state.

“The election has been fixed by the relevant federal government agency. Nobody can stop it,” Umar said. 

“We have the capacity to provide a peaceful atmosphere in Anambra State for that election. 

“Nobody or group can issue such threat and succeed, because we have all it will take to subdue such threat. 

“No group can do that. The people of the state have the right to have periodic elections to choose their leaders; nobody or group can stop them from exercising such right. We can’t allow it. It’s not done. We are fully on the ground and we can suppress such threats.”

Umar said the police in the state were consulting with relevant stakeholders in the state to ensure that there would peace during the poll.

The leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, had warned that elections would be boycotted in the South-east states starting with the November 18 election in Anambra, if the federal government fails to hold referendum for the realization of the State of Biafra.

“If the federal government does not agree with us on a date for referendum, there will be no elections in the South-east, we are starting with Anambra come November this year. There will be no governorship election in Anambra State,” he said.