On October 6, Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, had said the declaration of a state of emergency “cannot be ruled out” in Anambra to ensure that the November 6 governorship election in the state takes place. The statement had sparked criticisms from distinguished stakeholders in the state.

Adding his voice to the pushback, Obi, in a chat with Arise TV on Monday, said the security failure in Anambra is the fault of the federal government, which is “in charge of security”.

  “People in government, when they make statements, should always, first of all, examine and think about the implications of their statement to the overall wellbeing of the country,” the former governor of Anambra said. “People don’t know that the greatest contributors to GDP growth are intangible assets, which is security, law and order, and even the behavior and statement of the leaders.

    “The statement of leaders can actually hurt the place. So leaders must always ensure that their words have always gone through scrutiny. “That statement from the attorney general shouldn’t be. More so, he’s the attorney general of the federation, not of the federal government or APC.

“The federal government should not talk about a state of emergency. Failure of security in Anambra state is their failure because they are in charge of security. Unless they are saying, they’re going to declare a state of emergency on the country.”