How To Counter IPOB's No-elections Order In Anambra State, By Anayo M. Nwosu

As written by Anayo Nwosu

The governor and all the political actors in Anambra state should not just ignore the no-elections threat by Kanu's Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) declaration but must deploy smart strategies to counter it.

The governor shall call the meetings of all the religious leaders in Anambra state to seek their assistance in using their pulpits to cancel Kanu's no-elections instruction.

Anambra people are mostly christians and they believe their priests.

The Catholics in Anambra, unlike their counterparts in Imo state, do not question the directives of their bishops issued directly or via their parish priests.

Catholic bishops could design a "Prayer For The Successful Conduct of 2017 Anambra Governorship Elections" and enjoin the fateful to recite it every Sunday as they do the "Prayer For Nigeria In Distress".

Anambra people are about 65% catholic.

This strategy would work as the sitting governor is a catholic and has good relationship with all the three catholic bishops in the state.

The governor should also engage the Anglican and the pentecostal leaderships in the state to achieve the same agreement.

The christian leadership must have noticed the Judaism bent of Nnamdi Kanu and would not fancy losing their members to his Jewish sect.

That loophole must be exploited.

Subsequently, all the traditional rulers and the town union presidents of the 119 or more communities and towns in Anambra should be engaged to make them visualize the disorderliness that would befall the state if IPOB's plan is allowed to materialize.

Each traditional ruler should summon their heads of the constituent villages to a meeting to cascade down the message in their domain.

And the village heads should pass the message to the Obi and chairmen of Umunna or extended family meetings.

The state government is lucky to have centralized the commands of all the towns vigilante groups.

Each village vigilante head should be involved in intelligence gathering and should present status report to their state commander during weekly zonal meetings.

Such intelligence would be available the police and DSS.

The state government should hold intermittent meetings with all the market executives in Anambra states especially those in Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka to seek their understanding and explain how anarchy would affect their businesses.

The market associations are very powerful in the state.

The civil servants do not need much preaching as they are pro government in power.

Effective from August, the leaders IPOB who hail from Anambra would have been made to meet with their priests, inlaws, mother's people, their heads of extended family and the Igwe or traditional rulers who would be asking them to desist from being used by foreigners to destabilize the state.

Such multiple admonitions by influential relatives and highly placed people could weaken an agitation in a wild activist.

In addition, all the media houses in the state should frequently invite highly placed citizens of Anambra to talk shows to explain the gains of holding the scheduled Nov. 2017 governorship elections.

In order not to mix up the arrest of the gluttons and the longer-throat at the same time, no political actor or election canvassers in the state should oppose the Biafra secession idea.

The governor and other contestants show never succumb to the temptation of demonizing Nnamdi Kanu as this would annoy the voters.

Even the pagans and christians are united in support of a change. They like what Kanu has achieved so far.

The whole Igbo as a people originated from the present day Anambra state hence, the cure of any Igbo madness is easily found in Anambra.

The IPOB's ill-advised no-election injunction in Anambra state is no madness but a housefly that fell into the jug of a palm wine.

Anambra people should carefully sieve out the housefly and continue to drink the sweet message of Biafran palm wine.