Anambra Guber: How INEC disenfranchised 400,000 members of Jewish Community

Says  Nnadi  Kanu is on his own

 

 

Maduako Igbokwe l Wednesday, May 12, 2021

 

ONITSHA, Anambra – Members of Judism religion and Seven Day Adventists Church in Anambra state have disassociated  themselves from the  call by the leader of Indegenous People of Biafra IPOB Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to  shun the forthcoming governorship election in the state. They said that the leader of IPOB is on his own and not speaking  for them .

President of Nigerian Jewish Community in Anambra state  , Elder Arthur- Regis Odidika who spoke with  newsmen in Awka ,Anambra state   during a stakeholders meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission IÑEC said  that Kanu has no right or powers to stop Anambra people or the South East in general from taking part in the general election in the country.

He said they are interested in participating in the election but that fixing it on Saturday ,the worshiping day disenfranchises them. He said the statement to shun election was against  the interest of  Ndi Igbos  ,noting that they cannot succeed in their quest if they failed to  participate   in the election.

According to him, over 400,000 members of the religion were being denied the right to vote by the    fixing of election dates on Saturdays; a day set aside for their worship.

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“There is one proscribed radio station owned by Nnamdi Kanu which has been asking people not to take part in the November election in Anambra state and we wonder how the emancipation of Ndigbo can work if we fail to be part of the electoral process.

“We as a body stand for peace and brotherly coexistence and not war and we cannot afford to allow some people overheat the polity in Anambra state by the call for a boycott of the elections in Nigeria” he said .

According to him Saturday is their holy and worship day which makes it impossible for members to go out  to  vote. “We call on the Independent and  National Electoral Commission IÑEC to consider our plight and find a way of making our members to participate in the electoral process and I believe there must be a way out.

“We and members of the seven Days Adventists Church are over 400,000 in Anambra state and on that day we worship God just like Christians do on Sunday and we cannot vote on that day and we have been involved in awareness and advocacy campaign to sensitize Anambra electorates on the need to perform their Civic responsibilities  but it is an irony that on that day we are incapacitated to cast our votes” he said .

It would be recalled that the Resident Electoral Commissioner Mr Mkpachukwu Orji had at the stakeholders meeting lamented that out of over 2.5 millions   registered voters in Anambra state only about  500.000 voters actually come out to cast their votes . He insisted that the bane of elections in the  state was low turn up .