The activities of the proscribed pro-Biafra group, IPOB, appeared to have been a difficult issue for the governorship candidates in Anambra State to deal with during the just concluded political debate.
Andy Uba, of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA), and Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), were the only three candidates who participated in the Arise News-organised debate, out of the 18 that have been cleared for the November 6 election.
IPOB agitation in Anambra and other south-eastern States has led to several killings and destruction, with the attendant militarisation of the region.
All the three candidates showed reluctance at the debate to condemn the activities of IPOB which has been proscribed by the Nigerian government. The three said it was necessary for the government to dialogue with IPOB.
In life, I have seen good men do the wrong thing, and I have seen wrong men do good things. So, its always good to get to the activities of any group or any person, and support what is good and condemn whats bad, said the PDP candidate, Mr. Ozigbo.
There are certain things IPOB does, through agitation and on things that happened, that I support. But when they get to some extreme, then I condemn, he added.
Ozigbo said insecurity in Anambra was caused by the way the APC-led government at the centre and the APGA-led government in Anambra were doing things.
He said those who created the insecurity cannot be the ones to mediate in any dialogue with IPOB.
The APGA candidate, Soludo, who described himself as a pan-Nigerian, said he does not support the agitation for an independent republic. Just like the other two candidates, he said IPOB deserves to be heard.
The candidates reluctance to condemn IPOB at the debate is perhaps to avoid a backlash at the poll which is just a few days away. It also underscores the complexities of the security challenges in the state and the South-East region.
Apart from insecurity, the candidates talked about the economy, education, environment and healthcare in Anambra.
