Traders at Ogbaru main ( Relief) Market, near Onitsha, Anambra state, have given Gov. Willie Obiano, a seven-day ultimatum within which to cancel the result of the market election conducted at Godwin Achebe mini stadium, Fegge Onitsha on 25 January this year failure which would prompt them to embark on severe protest to Awka, the state capital.
The composed 302 line chairmen and secretaries described the election as imposition of candidates on them, adding that it was marred with fraud and illegality.
The chairman of the lines chairmen and secretaries, Chinyelugo Nnamekwu, said that “there was no election but the selection of candidates by the leadership of markets in the state in collaboration with Ndubisi Ochiogu, the so-called winner of the election.”
” Out of 203 lines in the market, 199 did not vote as we were disenfranchised by being barred from entering the stadium to vote by ASMATA security operatives deployed to disenfranchise us and we were dumped at the entrance gate of the stadium till the end of the election.
“The commissioner for Trade, Commerce, Markets and Wealth Creation, Hon Uchenna Okafor promised us that on the day of the election 120 lines will be accredited to vote with passports but on that day 233 lines were created out of which 199 lines were barred from voting.
”Those that voted were non-traders brought with about five buses, ASMATA security operatives and women who could not even identify who they voted for as they were just ordered to queue up and be counted”
“Fake lines with unknown lines chairmen and secretaries were allowed to go in and vote, leaving the genuine lines chairmen and secretaries to their fate outside the stadium. It is an abomination and we can’t accept this.
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“This protest is going to be the mother of all protests in the state, we will ground the state if after seven days the governor does not cancel the result of the election.
“Out of the three chairmanship candidates, two of them, Victor Nwawuzie Akirika and David Obidike, boycotted the election on observing that it was being marred with fraud, illegality and unaccredited people as non-traders of the market queued up to vote,”
Also reacting, the secretary of all the lines chairmen and secretaries, Chukwuebuka Uchenna, said that, “I have been in this market for over 30 years but have not seen this type of thing, where non-traders will be asked to go and vote on behalf of genuine traders of our market”.
“We have a constitution and our constitution was not followed. The constitution said chairman and secretary and two persons from each line but this time they dumped the genuine chairmen and Secretaries and picked the people they prefer that will support them to win”
“We would have protested earlier but we were advised not to do so that the governor will come to our rescue but he did not, so we are unstoppable in this protest, after one week and nothing is done, we will have no other option than to embark on the protest”
“They created fake Bucknor lines, three bank lines, oil line, among others, these names were created to increase the votes of the so-called winner”
The Commissioner for Trade, Commerce, Markets and Wealth Creation, Hon Uchenna Okafor, told us before the election that 120 lines will be accredited out of the 203 registered lines in the market but on the day of the election 233 lines were created to vote and 199 did not vote, leaving us the genuine lines chairmen and secretaries outside,” Nnamekwu said.
In a swift reaction, Chief Ndubisi Ochiogu, described their claims as false and unfounded, adding that the election was free, fair and credible.
“My victory was a payback to me by the traders for my achievements in the market. I brought light, water, security and opened an account with the bank on behalf of the traders, which no successive governments have done in the market”.
On the allegation that he went to each of the market lines and picked two people of his choice and made them chairman and secretary thereby dumping the genuine lines chairmen and Secretaries, he described it as false.
“I went to the lines like other contestants did to know the line chairmen and Secretaries, so how would mine be different,” he said.
