Vote or risk state of emergency, Stella Oduah warns Anambra residents

The senator representing Anambra North, Stella Oduah, has urged residents of Anambra State to come out in large numbers to exercise their constitutional mandate in the November 18 governorship election in the state.

Ms. Oduah made this call while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, according to a statement from her office.

The former Aviation Minister who withdrew from the PDP governorship primary which produced Oseloka Obaze as the party’s flag bearer, stressed that irrespective of political affiliation, interest of the state comes first.

She noted that failure to exercise franchise in the forthcoming election could lead to the declaration of state of emergency in the state.
This is coming as the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, threatened Anambra electorates with death if they come out to vote on Saturday.

The members of the group who marched around some streets in Onitsha on Friday, vowed to create a lockdown on the day of the election.
Reacting to this however, Ms. Oduah warned Anambra residents of the consequences of ignoring the polls.

“Our constitution does not allow for half a minute space between the incumbent tenure being over and the next tenure,” she said.
“Therefore if we fail to come out and cast our vote to have a new governor, what will happen is that the Federal Government will provide an administrator and declare a state of emergency.
“It means that democracy will elude us, the administrator that would be governing us would not be who we voted for or who we desire; that is not what we want.
“Therefore we must not allow ourselves to be disenfranchised, we must make sure that we come out on November 18th and vote.”

She urged residents to embrace peace while calling on leaders to caution their subjects.
“What Anambra needs now more than anything is peace, we need peace for progress, we need peace for security, we need peace to sustain the development that is coming and that has come. We do not need violence, we have had enough killings, thank God we have security in Anambra more than most states; we must make sure that is sustained.

“Most importantly our basic human right that is enshrined in the constitution and gives us the power to choose who governs us must not be denied us.
“We will be denying ourselves that if we fail to come out and vote and protect our vote. It is extremely important that we understand this.
“I am pleading that all leaders should come out and tell their followers to come out and vote come 18th of November.

“We have been enjoying a very peaceful and secured state, people are now home-bound, investments are coming, human capital is being developed. To sustain that and to ensure that we are not disenfranchised, we must not stay at home on the 18th, we must exercise our civic rights. Nobody should voluntarily disenfranchise himself or herself, it is an abnormality.
“This is not about party, it is about saving our state. It is about making sure that our youth, women and children have a peaceful and enabling environment where good governance and policies will thrive.”