Violence, Irregularities Force YPP Boycott of Anambra Local Government Election

The Young Progressives Party (YPP) has announced its withdrawal from the ongoing local government elections in Anambra State. The party cited widespread violence, alleged electoral irregularities, and reports of gunshots in Otuocha, the administrative center of Anambra East Local Government Area, as reasons for its boycott.

Anambra East LGA stood out as the sole local government among the state's 21 where an opposition party, the YPP, had put forward candidates for both chairmanship and councillorship roles across all 15 wards. In contrast, other opposition parties did not field candidates in any of the 21 LGAs, leading to All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidates running unopposed in the remaining 20 local councils.

Speaking to journalists on Saturday at the Anambra East LGA Secretariat in Otuocha, Mr. Charles Ifediora, the YPP’s Local Government Collation Agent for Anambra East, confirmed the party's decision to boycott the polls. Ifediora accused the ruling APGA and the state government of orchestrating violence to deter the opposition on election day. He explained that tensions escalated as YPP agents and supporters gathered at their designated locations to participate in the electoral process. Furthermore, he alleged that gunshots were fired near the Anambra East LGA Secretariat in Otuocha just as the distribution of electoral materials was about to commence.

Ifediora stated, "We are boycotting the election over widespread irregularities and violence against our party agents, members and voters. None of our party’s agents was allowed to carry out their duties. There were gunshots around the LGA Secretariat. The gun incident prevented our agents and supporters from participating in the election." He highlighted the severity of the situation, noting that the YPP had candidates for all 15 councillorship positions, covering 241 polling units in the local government. He also claimed that "Security operatives from Agunechemba and Udo-Ga-Achi vigilante outfits had been mobilised by the state government to ensure that the only opposition party fielding candidates did not participate effectively in the LGA election." Describing the situation as "appalling," Ifediora added, "The election was scheduled to take place today, and when our people assembled as planned, all my agents were not allowed. There were several gunshots and one of our party members, a lady, was shot and taken to the hospital."

An eyewitness identified as Uche Akaniro, who was close to the scene, corroborated reports of shooting incidents in the vicinity but noted that there were no significant casualties. Akaniro recounted, "Yes, there were shootings near the LGA Secretariat in the early hours of today, but before we arrived at the Secretariat to vote, police had cordoned off the place and restored calm. We later learnt that some people were injured when they were scampering for safety. We thank God there were no major casualties. The panic disrupted the electoral activity for some time, which resulted in many voters boycotting the election."

Responding to these allegations, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, the Publicity Secretary for the APGA, dismissed the YPP's claims as unfounded. Opara asserted, “That is a figment of their imagination. They knew they stood no chance and a bad workman will always quarrel with his tools.”

However, when queried about the alleged shooting incidents, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, refuted any reports of gunfire in the area, maintaining that the election proceeded peacefully. Ikenga confirmed that the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Ama, personally led an election security monitoring patrol team to Anambra East LGA and other parts of the state. He declared, “There was no gun shot in the area. The CP led a security patrol team to the area and as of the time the team left, no gun shot was heard. The patrol was aimed at assessing the security situation, monitoring the deployment and conduct of personnel, and ensuring a safe, peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections across the State.” The Commissioner of Police, he added, reiterated the Command’s dedication to upholding law and order throughout the electoral process and urged residents to remain peaceful, law-abiding, and security-conscious.