About 4,000 aggrieved women protesting the plan to conduct the Supplementary election in Anambra State were Friday stopped by security operatives who said they were acting on orders from above.
The angry women who described themselves as “Anambra Women” carried posters with inscriptions which read: “INEC rigging, Bad for Anambra, We no go gree,” “Jega Must go,” “Jega-Jaga must go,””Jega rig Sokoto election, not Anambra,” “Anambra shall be free,””Cancel Anambra Guber Election now,””New Election, February 2014, Reject INEC results 2013,” “Cancel Anambra Election, sack Jega.”
The women who sang songs disparaging INEC officials and the conduct of the November 16 governorship election were marching towards INEC headquarters to call for the cancellation, resignation of THE Commission’s chairman , Professor Attahiru Jega and removal of Resident Electoral Commissioner in Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Onukogu.
They called for conduct of a fresh election just as they said the scheduled supplementary election of November 30 march would not hold.
They marched from Aroma junction but were pushed back by the police as they cornered to enter the route leading towards INEC state headquarters. The police arrived in six trucks to block their way. The women who continued to sing abusive songs insisted that they had the freedom as provided in the constitution to assemble, associate, and express their grievances, but the police denied them access saying they had no authority to demonstrate.
The women opted to stay put at the Aroma junction while the police kept surveillance for the most part of the seven hours the women staged the protest.
A spokesperson for the “Anambra Women” who simply identified herself as an angry voter from Obosi, said the protest was aimed at letting the authorities know that the supplementary election billed to hold Saturday, November 30 this year would hold.
She stated that what took place on November 16, this year was a charade saying INEC compromised and sided with a political party and the Presidency to thwart the people’s choice, adding that the protest was as a result of the fact that an unpopular candidate was being imposed on the people through selection rather than election.
The women spokesperson stated that in Obosi where she hails from, there was no election, and INEC scheduled two Armoured Vehicles (APC) in addition to 8 trucks loaded with police, army and other security operatives for just one ward to scare the people .
According to her, INEC announced that elections did not hold at Obosi but wondered why the ward was not featured as one of the areas where the supplementary election would hold on Saturday
She stated that the women were resisting the use of force and the intimidating number of police to scare them and achieve an imposition of an unpopular candidate on them as governor.
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