Traders in Onitsha, Anambra State, have threatened revolution following the recent dissolution of the elected executive members of the market by the state government.
This followed a meeting held on Tuesday by trustees and sectional heads of the market during which they passed a resolution asking the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to reinstate the Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu-led executives of the market.
The market was among the 32 markets whose executive members were recently sacked by the state government.
The State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr. Obinna Ngonadi, had last week, announced the dissolution of caretaker committees of 30 markets in the state and the elected leadership of two other markets, including Ose-Ekwodu and Ogbaru Main Market, saying that they would be replaced while fresh elections were conducted in the two markets with contentious leadership.
But the action of the government in the dissolution process did not go down well with the trustees, sectional heads, stakeholders, and the entire traders of the Ochiogu-led Ogbaru market traders association, as they demanded the reinstatement of their executives or there would be a revolution by the angry traders.
They demanded that the democratically elected executive should be exempted from the dissolution as according to them, the election of January 25, 2022, which brought them into office, was conducted in a credible, transparent, free, and fair manner.
The Chairman of the Market Sectional Heads, Mr. Emmanuel Nwadibia, said the entire market was saddened by the state government’s decision to sack the democratically elected executive members of the market.
Nwadibia pointed out that the election that enthroned them was witnessed by security agents and officials of the state government, even though it was under the last administration of former Governor Willie Obiano.
Also expressing concern that the duly elected executive of the market was sacked under a controversial circumstance, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chief Sam Mendu; his Deputy, Chief Eugene Nwanekezi; Secretary of Patrons in the market, Emeka Okafor; Financial Secretary, Mrs. Uche Udezue and other sectional heads in the market, called on the state government to immediately reinstate their sacked executive, whom they noted had worked tirelessly to end burglary in the market.
According to them, we hereby counsel the state government to rescind its decision and reinstate the Ochiogu-led executives who campaigned vigorously in the market circle to ensure the victory of Governor Soludo during the November 6, 2021 governorship election in the state.
“The sacking of the executives must have been carried out in error because government authorities did not hear from the market authorities, but relied heavily on the purported allegations contained in a series of petitions from the opposition that contested and lost woefully during the market election.”