Maduako Igbokwe l Wednesday, March 01, 2023
ONITSHA, Anambra – Stakeholders of Anambra State Markets (SASM), have called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to immediately remove the Acting President-General of Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), Chief Humphery Anuna, if he wants the support of traders in the forthcoming State House of Assembly election.
The group told newsmen in Onitsha that if the Governor fails to remove Anuna who they alleged is “incompetent and corrupt”, they would withdraw their support for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidates in the March 11, 2023 State House of Assembly election.
Addressing the press at the weekend the chairman of the group Chief Edwin Okafor, flanked by the secretary said that Anuna is not qualified to lead the traders and has been creating more problem in the markets with the Chief of Staff (CoS ) to the Governor, Mr. Ernest Ezeajugh, who they said does not know anything about market leadership and he is creating problems instead of solving them.
Consequently, the Stakeholders said, the CoS is being ill-advised by Chief Anuna who has the wrong motive of creating crisis in the markets so as to extort traders and the markets in the State.
The stakeholders said the crisis in Ose Okwodu market and Bridgehead Market were caused by Anuna and the former President General, Chief Ikechukwu Ekwegbalu, who they alleged collected money to remove Ajasa market and Drug Market from Ose Okwodu and Head Bridge respectively for them to become autonomous even when they knew it was wrong.
They said Anuna knew quite well that those two markets were part and parcel of their respective parent markets but because of pecuniary interest they made them autonomous which has now created friction in both markets.
“But as it is now Anuna cannot resolve the matter because he had compromised himself before now” they said. The stakeholders also urged the Governor to remove the CoS from overseeing Anambra markets since he does not have the experience and competence to handle market issues.
The group said the CoS just came back from abroad and does not know the dynamics of Anambra market leadership, saying that Anuna exploits his ignorance on market issues to ill-advise him which he also uses to advise the governor rather wrongly.
They demanded that the governor should appoint a knowledgeable person as the Commissioner for Markets who will commence immediate preparation for the election in various markets in the State between March ending and April this year.
The group also accused Anuna of being responsible for the return of Chief Ndunuisi Ochiogu as the leader of the Ogbaru Main Market after he had earlier been sacked due to the alleged electoral malpractices that was said to have characterised his earlier election.
They warned the governor to be careful on how he allows rich businessmen to interfere in market politics in the state on the grounds that their goods are being sold in the market.
They said Ejison is not the only Anambra rich man who has his goods sold in Ogbaru Main Market and indeed other markets in the state which allowed him to determine who becomes the chairman of the market.
If Ejison is allowed to determine who becomes the chairman of Ogbaru Main Market as he did with the return of Ochiogu, rich Anambrarians like Arthur Eze, Innoson, Chief GU Okeke among others will take over the market leadership in the state and the traders would be paying royalties to them.
They said the campaign rally Chief Anuna purportedly organised for APGA candidates was for selfish interest , not actually to campaign for those candidates.
Pointing out that none of the candidates turned up for the campaign rally, the group alleged that Anuna organised the rally during which markets in the state were shut down to make money for himself, saying that the candidates were expected to pay huge amount of money to Anuna which they failed to comply hence their absence during the rally.
They alleged that Anuna imposed N200, 000 on the leadership of each market in the State, which they were directed to pay into First Bank Account Number: 2041780831. The group said the number was not ASMATA bank account number but believed to be that of Anuna’s company; Traders’ Voice Newspaper Association.
They also called on the governor to immediately drop the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Solo Chukwudeblu, since he is not the only educated and qualified person in the state to hold that position.
The group said the governor should do away with the past and all Willie Obiano’s vestiges so as to start from a clean slate. Efforts to get Chief Anuna and the CoS to speak on the allegations either on their phone or WhatsApp failed as they did not respond to their calls and messages sent to them.
