Anambra LP lawmakers accuse Soludo of plotting to use thugs in bye-elections
The Labour Party (LP) Caucus in the National Assembly has accused Chukwuma Soludo, Anambra State Governor, of planning to deploy non-state security operatives and thugs during Saturday’s bye-elections in the state.
This was contained in a statement signed by Senators Victor Umeh and Tony Nwoye, and six House of Representatives members.
The elections for the Onitsha North 1 State Assembly seat and the Anambra South senatorial zone are expected to be fiercely contested.
The lawmakers alleged that “Governor Chukwuma Soludo and his All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have concluded plans to deploy men of the state’s security outfit, Udogachi, crude revenue enforcers… and sundry non-state actors to take over the various voting points.”
They argued it would be “foolhardy to allow the Governor to take charge of security arrangements” in a contest where APGA candidates are major contenders.
The caucus urged the National Security Adviser, the military, DSS, and NSCDC to fully deploy personnel “to restore voter confidence and protect the lives of those involved in the process.”
According to them, “the whole essence of democratic governance revolves around freedom of choice, made possible by free and fair elections.”
They described Saturday’s polls as “a litmus test on Nigeria’s readiness to ensure that the votes of Nigerians not only count, but are peacefully counted in order to arrive at an acceptable outcome.”
Citing the Onitsha North race, the lawmakers said they were “shocked to the bone marrow by the level of desperation of Governor Soludo and APGA-led state government against a widow whose husband was kidnapped and killed as the then sitting member representing the constituency.”
“As a people, we must therefore strive to ensure that everyone plays by the rules,” the statement added.
