Senator and Governors Fingered
OpenLife Nigeria reports that civil societies made up of the leaders of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), the Southeast Zone of the Civil Liberties Organization (Southeast CLO) and the Southeast Based Coalition of Democracy and Human Rights Organizations (SBCHROs) have directly pointed accusing fingers on Governors Ben Ayade, Hope Uzodimma of Cross River and Imo States respectively and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State as responsible for the alleged appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Florence Banku Obi as the Chief Returning Officer in the Anambra November 6 governorship election.
Florence Banku Obi is a Nigerian academic, author and professor of special education. She is the 11th substantive vice-chancellor of the University of Calabar and the first female vice-chancellor since the inception of the institution.
In a statement jointly signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche, Esq and Chidimma Eva Udegbunam, Esq (for Intersociety); Comrades Aloysius Attah, Vincent Ezekwueme (for Southeast CLO); Jerry Chukwuokoro, Ph.D. and Okezie Kelechi, Ph.D. (for SBCHROs) and made available to OpenLife, the coalition raised objections to the alleged appointment saying that it is designed to rig the election in favour of the Senator Andy Uba, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The statement titled “ Rumored Drafting Of Partisan UNICAL VC As Chief Returning Officer Must Be Reversed” reads
The rumors hitting the ground in several social clusters across the State of a plan to draft the alleged partisan Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, to be accompanied by her son, Hilary, as the Chief Returning Officer for the Nov 6 Governorship Election, are not being taken with a pinch of salt by the Coalition.
The rumors further had it that the drafting of the alleged partisan VC was influenced or being influenced by some APC chieftains including defected Governor Ayade of Cross River State, former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State and incumbent unpopular Gov Hope Uzodimma of Imo State. The rumors, if true, must not be treated with kid gloves. As a matter of fact, the alleged partisan VC must be replaced with another credible and neutral academician. Our firm position on Anambra Poll remains that members of the voting population must be allowed to vote the candidate of their choice and the Poll supervised and returned by a neutral and non partisan third party as its Chief Returning Officer.
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