Rising from their joint meeting in Awka , two frontline political pressure groups in the state, the Committee for the Defence of Anambra (CDA) and Anambra True Democrats (ATD) yesterday sent an SOS to the Appeal Court sitting in Enugu.

The message was clear and unambiguous: "Let the court order the swearing in of Andy Uba as governor of Anambra State at the expiration of the tenure of Peter Obi on March 17, 2010 to save the state from the bloodbath which politicians have conspired to plunge the state into in the February 6, 2010 election".

In a joint statement signed by Messrs Nnama Ofor CDA and Ben Odenigbo ofthe ATD, the groups averred that Anambra has become ungovernable with obvious signs of anarchy in the event of an election, adding that only the judiciary can help salvage the situation.

"We have watched with shock and disbelief the shenanigans of the political gladiators in the state; we have weighed the utterances of the key actors in the Anambra political stage and we have come to the inevitable conclusion that a bit of judicial activism would save the people of the state from the carnage bazaar which the politicians are preparing to enact during the February 6, 2010 governorship election. We are persuaded therefore that only the Appeal Court can help arrest this drift to anarchy by returning Uba to his governorship seat.

"We say this mindful of the fact that the atmosphere in the state at the moment will not and can not promote free and fair election, rather it would lead to a free for all fight symptoms of which are already manifesting within the ranks of the political parties. It is instructive that for over five years, no local government election had been organised in the state not even by the incumbent governor, Peter Obi, because the auguries are not palatable. We therefore plead with the Appeal Court to leverage on the pillars of judicial activism and political correctness in delivering its ruling".

The groups warned those who had been waiting on the wings to foment trouble in the state to have a re-think because "people's power would prevail this time over the will of a cabal"; stressing that Nigerians should start imbibing the virtue of respecting judgements of courts even when it hurts them, in apparent reference to statements credited to Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu and some organisations that victory for Uba would brew trouble in the state.

"To say that victory for Uba would create constitutional crisis is tantamount to judicial ambush and intimidation and we urge the court to do what it considers the right thing. In any sane society the law is not interpreted to suit the caprice of an individual or group of individuals who think they have the machinery for propaganda; the law is as spelt out by the court of law. To do otherwise amounts to judicial thuggery and this is what Ojukwu and his tribe of war-mongers and violence brewers are trying to do. We condemn it", the statement said.

According to the statement, Anambra is not new to judicial redemption. "We recall how the judiciary salvaged the situation by returning the mandate to Peter Obi twice in those heady days when the rule of man seized the state by its jugular. We urge the judiciary to do likewise in the Andy Uba case by restoring order before the situation explodes into a major political and socio-economic disorder", the statement said.