Guber Election: ‘Imo Not War Zone, Not On Fire’ — DIG Mbah

The Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG, Frank Mba has assured Nigerians that Imo State is not a war zone as speculated, but would be counted as one where a free and fair election was held.

The DIG, in charge of election security management in the state, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Imo Police Command on Friday.

DIG Mbah’s assertion followed ongoing tension in the state given the tight contest between opposition political parties, and the controversies surrounding the alleged attack on the leadership of the national Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, in the state.

He said “We are not unaware of the very special nature of politicians all over the world, not just in Nigeria, who have got special DNAs.

“They think differently, they act differently, particularly in their quest for power, but we will do what we should do. We will be guided by the constitution of the land, other status and conscience.

“I just want to appeal to people out there to keep communication as modest and temperate as we can, so we can all prove all the doomsayers wrong. Imo is not a war zone.

“Imo is not on fire. Whatever have been the security problem, it is not insurmountable. Whatever the difficulties on the ground, they might be tough, but they are clearly not something we cannot surmount.

“So, Let us work together, I am positive again that we will deliver on our task.”

The DIG called on all Non-Government Organisations, Election Observers, Civil Society Groups and Nigerians to make a conscious effort to fact-check fake news, given its deliberate ability to affect the credibility of electoral processes.

The senior officer noted that permitting the spread of falsehood will also have the potential to impede the safety of electorates in the various states where elections are scheduled to be held.

According to him, such misinformation could also incite conflict and all kinds of disturbances including riots and demonstrations, detrimental to internal security.

Addressing the press, the police chief said, “I want to appeal to you as you perform your responsibilities, please help us to ensure that every bit and piece of information at your disposal is properly fact-checked before you push out.”

He further assured the residents in the state that the police have “sufficient resources to deploy for this election. We have sufficient manpower, operational assets and we will make ultimate use of these operational assets.

“We are collaborating with our sister agencies, military, and other paramilitary organisations out there. We are also collaborating with NGOs and we are positive that with all we have put on the ground, and with the support of our people we will have a peaceful election tomorrow.”

DIG Mbah assured that the police who are the lead security agency in the election would act professionally, and operationally to provide a level playing ground for all contestants in the gubernatorial election.

The Imo state election scheduled for November 11, will be fiercely contested among 18 candidates, among which are three major contestants.

They include, Hope Uzodinmma of the All Progress Congress (APC), Samuel Anyanwu, a former National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Athan Achonu of the Labour Party.