Over 100 traders in Oseokwuodu market, Onitsha, Anambra state, Thursday, besieged government house to press home for retention of their elected officers.
Governor Charles Soludo had in a statement from the office of the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr Obinna Ngonadi, last week, dissolved 30 markets, adding that Oseokwuodu and others would have their newly elected officers dismmissed for constitution of caretaker committees.
But the traders, who came with placards of different inscriptions, appealed to the governor not to dissolve their leadership, because according to them, elections into their offices were duly conducted on February 3, 2022 under the supervision of the state government, representatives of Anambra State Market and Traders Association (ASMATA) and security.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Executive Chairman of the market, Hon. Anthony Onwuetiaka, expressed displeasure that their leadership would be dissolved in three months through announcement on social media without any form of consultation or provocation.
According to Onwuetiaka, upon reading the content on social media, his executive contacted the commissioner to find out why their leadership which was to last for three years would be dissolved for no cogent reason, and the commissioner said it was due to several petitions.
“I requested for copies of the petitions. The Honourable Commissioner could not provide any. I asked him why? He said may be the aggrieved parties petitioned the governor directly. That is why we are here to tell our governor that we have no issue in the market about the election. We don’t also need any caretaker committee. We are with the government and ever ready to discuss and partner them,” he noted.
The state Commissioner for Homelands Affairs, Mr Chikodi Anara, represented by Head of Operations in the Ministry, Dr Ezenduka Samuel, assured the protesters that their requests would be duly forwarded to the governor for final decisions.
