Anambra guber poll: Police dismiss IPOB threat

The police in Anambra  on Saturday  said no person or group could stop  the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra.

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Mr Garba Umar, said this in Awka  while reacting to the call by the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) on  residents of the state to boycott the Nov.  18 governorship election.

Umar told journalists that he only heard about the said call for  boycott of  the election in the media,  adding that IPOB had not claimed responsibility.

He gave an assurance that the police  would ensure a peaceful election  in the state.

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

“I have not heard from IPOB that it would stop the election  apart from what was published in the media. But that is for the media.

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

“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.

“We are fully on the ground and we can suppress such threats,” he said.

Umar, who assumed office in  the state  on June 21, said consultations were on with relevant stakeholders in the state to ensure a peaceful poll.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that stakeholders,  including political parties and Ohanaeze, the apex Igbo socio-cultural body, had cautioned IPOB  after it called for the boycott of the guber poll.

(NAN)