Oladipupo Awojobi, Okey Madufor 
Barring any unforeseen circumstance, the governorship election of Anambra State will hold today Saturday November 6 as scheduled. But, the election might be holding amid fear, uncertainty and anxiety by residents of the state and concerned stakeholders arising from the activities of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), which has since been proscribed by the Federal Government.
While IPOB appeared to have soft pedaled on its earlier order that residents of the five South East states should stayat- home for one week from November 5, residents of Anambra still entertain fears that violence could break out from any quarters as they go out to elect their next governor. Sources revealed that many streets and popular areas of the state have been deserted by residents, some of whom were said to have relocated to their home towns and villages. Candidates for the election include Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), along with 15 other candidates, all male.
It will be recalled that members of the IPOB had expressed dissatisfaction with the continued detention of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was repatriated to Nigeria and is currently facing trial in a court of law. The group had vowed to stop the Anambra governorship election from holding.
However, IPOB, on Thursday denied that it called for a boycott of the Anambra governorship election. The group made it known in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, that IPOB did not call for poll boycott, dissociating the group from the election process.
Saturday Telegraph gathered yesterday that the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in Anambra is being heavily guarded by security men from the road to the area and inside the compound. Concrete drums totaling over 30 were reportedly used to block commuters and pedestrians from passing through the entrance of the commission headquarters with armoured tanks and heavy duty trucks taking strategic positions ahead of the election today.
This is coming as there are apprehensions in several quarters that fake policemen in uniforms have been deployed to manipulate the exercise. Sensitive materials for the election were moved to the commission yesterday and there were fears that fake policemen and fake INEC staff have infiltrated the areas with fake sensitive materials.
