The Crazy 22-Hour Curfew In Anambra

The 22-hour restriction on movement from
midnight on Friday 15 November, to 10p.m.
on Saturday 16 November during the Anambra
State governorship election is unnecessary and
unprecedented in the history of our nation. It
is illogical and has no place in a democratic
setting anywhere in the world.
Even during general elections, Nigerians are
allowed to move around freely from 4p.m. on
election day. There is no logical explanation
why an extended curfew should be imposed
because of an isolated election in Anambra
State.
We believe that an election is not a war, but a
celebration of democracy. It is the day the
people choose those who will lead them. It is
certainly not a day to create fear, panic or
intimidation. How can the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC, justify
the collosal loss in terms of revenue that
would have been generated during the 22
hours the curfew would last? Who came up
with such a hare brained idea?
We agree with those who have expressed
concern about declaring a 22-hour curfew for
an election in only one state. Many are
wondering if the overstretched curfew is a ploy
to rig the election. We call on INEC to discard
the unnecessary curfew and allow free
movement from 4 p.m. as it has been done in
the past without hitches. What is important
for INEC is to ensure that the election is free
and fair and that the will of the people is
respected. There should be no cooked up
results or manipulation of figures.
INEC should ensure that election materials get
to all the polling units on time and its officials
are deployed to all the voting centres at the
right time. INEC officials should not collude
with some candidates to deprive the
strongholds of their opponents of electoral
materials as was the case in the recent
Senatorial election in Delta State because that
is one of the worst forms of election rigging as
voters in such affected areas would be
disenfranchised automatically.
The commission should also ensure that there
are no missing names or that there are
fictitious names added to the voters’ register.
It should ensure that there is no
thumbprinting or snatching of ballot boxes.
INEC has enough time to perfect its logistics
to ensure a free and fair election. Nigerians
will not accept any excuses for any shoddy
handling of the crucial election. The world is
watching