Power tussle : Soludo’s aide, LG chairman on war-path over who controls market leadership

….. swearing in market exco aborted

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

Severe crisis has errupted at the Emodi Shoe Dealers Association, (ESDA), in Ochanja Central market, Onitsha, Anambra state,  between the Special Adviser (SPAD), to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Trade and Markets, Evarist Ubah and the chairman of Onitsha South Local Government area, Emeka Orji, over who controls the market leadership in the council area.

It, prompted the  intervention of police, military, Agunechemba security outfit,  SASA, thugs, among others.

Consequently, plot to swear in some people led by Okwudili Anigbogu, as the ESDA executives by the council chairman, Orji, was aborted as SPAD, Ubah stormed the market with a copy of a letter of Executive Order from Governor Soludo.

They directed that no election should be conducted in the markets until after the gubernatorial election that took place on November 8 adding that the directive has not been revoked. 

Both sides of the warring factions stormed the scene with all manners of security operatives in readiness for a showdown prior to the SPAD presentation of the letter and directed that all those involved in the ESDA leadership saga should come to his office in Awka, state capital, on 11 December, with a view to settling the crisis.

The council chairman, Orji who was to perform the swearing in ceremony, was conspicuously absent as at the time of this uproar that would have metamorphosed into a free for all fight, to get his own reaction to the swearing in that ended in fiasco. 

Contacted in ESDA office, those who were to be sworn in but was aborted, led by Okwudili Anigbogu and some executives of the immediate past ESDA that included, Leonard Umeh and his secretary, among others, said they only kept quiet during the crisis to avoid destruction of lives and Property and declined further comment.

 In a swift reaction when contacted, the chairman, Board of Trustees, (BOT), of ESDA, Nwabueze Umeh, (a.k.a Ofiafuluego Na Okija), told newsmen that, “What happened here today will be best described as ‘government versus government”.

Explaining further he stated that, “There is an Executive Order from Governor Chukwuma Soludo that there shall not be any market election until after the gubernatorial election in the state and that order remains valid, has not been quashed or withdrawn.

“On 20th November a town crier in the market said everyone was needed by the council chairman, Orji, and when we got there the council chairman, Emeka Orji, said the offices of SPAD and ASMATA have been scraped and that they existed when he, Orji, was a caretaker committee chairman but not now that he is an Executive chairman.

“The council chairman included some names in the list of the kangaroo executives they said they elected for ESDA and vowed to present Certificate of 

Return to them on being sworn in on the 4th of November.

“I raised up my hand and objected to what he said and told him that I will get to governor and find out and I spoke with SPAD and ASMATA PG, Humphrey Anuna, and they said it was not true.

“The former chairman, Leonard Umeh, his tenure ended on 4th of December and before then they went to court  to revalidate the order of the court that said election should not be held in ESDA but court the High court upheld the judgment of the lower court that election should not be held .

“They wrote to Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, for security on the day of the swearing in that was aborted, the traders were ready for Orji to kill them. This type of crisis doesn’t happen in other markets except in ESDA..

“We have to respect our amiable governor who has given us peace in the market, also respect SPAD, Ubah and ASMATA PG as our mouth-piece in market affairs.

“I have been in trading in Onitsha for about 40 years, Soludo should come to our rescue because there is division of Labour. I am not against election but let it be done as government stated. That no election for now, they should stop embarrassing the government,” he pleaded.