The Coalition of Imo Young Leaders, a political pressure group, has decried the recent spate of attacks on facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo.
This is contained in a press release issued by the Group’s Secretary, Mr Ajachukwu Eze, in Owerri on Wednesday.
He condemned the attacks and described them as efforts to truncate Nigeria’s democracy and disenfranchise Nigerians as the country gears up for what many have described as a ‘make or mar’ general elections in 2023.
Eze noted that in recent times, the Commission’s facilities in Orlu and Ihitte-Uboma council areas of Imo had been razed down by fire, with its Imo headquarters in Owerri, the state capital burnt, on Monday.
He called on the Imo government to step up its game by providing adequate security in the Commission’s property and for its staffers, especially as the collection of the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) have started.
“This is a wake up call, a call to action. We must leave no stone unturned. The state government must live up to expectation and not give room for hoodlums and their irresponsibility.
“We call on Gov. Hope Uzodimma to convene a security meeting with the aim of rejiging the security architecture of the state so as to avoid a situation of anarchy suggestive of complacency,” he said.
Eze argued that although some of the culprits were gunned down by security agencies, they should not have been allowed to gain access to the INEC facility in the first place.
“The state government and security operatives should not approach this situation from a point of weakness because that will give room for continued attacks. These attacks are preventable,” he said.
He expressed fears that given the spate of recent attacks on residents of the state, such as the abduction of two expatriate engineers on Dec. 9, residents were getting jittery about full participation in the electioneering process.
This situation, he noted, is capable of encouraging voter apathy and truncating the collective will of the “already fearful’’ masses.
He, however, called on Imo people to join hands with security agencies and fish out those responsible for the avalanche of security breaches in the state. (NAN)
