President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security agencies to use all means necessary to ensure that the upcoming governorship election in Anambra State holds under a peaceful atmosphere.
President Buhari gave the order on Thursday during the National Security Council meeting he presided over at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, directing all security and intelligence agencies to do everything necessary to give the people their constitutional right to vote, threat by non-state actors to disrupt the election, not withstanding.
The president’s order were relayed to state House Correspondents after the meeting by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd).
It would be recalled that the president had a couple of weeks ago, through the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), warned that the Federal Government would not stand by and watch the election foiled as a result of violence, warning that all options, including the declaration of a state of emergency, were not ruled out.
However, narrating the president’s order on Thursday, the NSA said besides the fact that the people of Anambra deserve to choose a governor of their choice on November 6, 2021, the administration would not sit back while non-state actors set a wrong precedence in the history of the nation’s electoral experience.
To keep order in the state and allow a peaceful election, he said the security and intelligence agencies had been given orders to enforce peace, even if it would need that the entire state is over whelmed with the presence of security agents.
“Today’s meeting of the National Security Council focused it attention on several issues, primarily the elections in Anambra State, which will be held on the 6th of November. Council observed recent trends in which a lot of violent activities have been taking place and Council is desirous of seeing a hitch free election being conducted by next month.
“Now the problem here is that in as much as the government wants to conduct peaceful elections, there are non-state actors who have been heating up the polity, who have made all kinds of attempts to stymie orderly elections for next month.
“The president has directed that under no circumstances will anything be allowed to stop the elections from taking place successfully, the people have a right to vote, they have a right to select their leader, and no group or individual will be allowed to stimulate anarchy and chaos, leading to murderous activities.
“The president has made it very clear that the armed forces, security agencies and law enforcement agencies must make sure that the elections take place. If it means over whelming the entire environment with the presence of security agencies.
“There are so many implications for elections to be sabotaged by non-state actors. In the first place, we’re in a democracy. Secondly, it is important to note that if these non-state actors should succeed in destroying the potential for orderly elections, then it is natural that other parts of the country will also want to copy this situation.”
