By Praise Chinecherem
The Electronics Dealers’ Market, Ogbaru in Anambra State is currently engulfed in leadership tussle.
Stakeholders of the market accused state government of being responsible for the crisis by her apparent imposition of “favoured” persons on the traders as their leaders.
A stakeholder of the market, Mr. Ifechi Anozie stated this in an interview with journalists.
Anozie had during a briefing by stakeholders in the market recently raised alarm over an illegally constituted leadership led by one Donatus Obi.
Earlier in a petition to the Chief of Staff and Attorney General of the state , the stakeholders had accused Mr Obi of parading himself as the appointed Chairman by the state government without any document to back his claims.
Mr Obi and his team were also accused of embarking on threats of collecting money/levies from members of the Electronic Dealers Association without
The aggrieved traders in the petition noted that their action was necessary, chiefly to notify the state government of the alleged atrocities of the purported new leadership in the market and the dangers which they said such “new leadership” portend for the market in particular and State in general
The stakeholders therefore demanded clarification on whether the state government actually set up any interim leadership by whatever name to run the affairs of the Electronic Dealers Association and also to collect taxes and levies on behalf of the government.
The petition which was signed by their lawyer, Chief Barr Ugo Ugwunadi, on behalf of the traders also stated that a subsisting court order in a suit marked, AT/MISC/50/2022, had directed all parties involved to maintain status quo ante pending determination judgement of the case.
However, the petitioners explained that while the suit in reference was still pending at the Ogbaru High Court presided by Justice Okwuma an illegally constituted leadership with the alleged support of the state government attempted to usurp power from the duly elected executive members of the association.
In the same vein, another stakeholder, Mr Chinedu Ochife, alleged that the same Donatus Obi and his team at present parade themselves as the leaders of the market but without presenting any papers to authenticate their acclaimed appointment.
Mr Ocheife said that Mr Obi had since continued to brag, saying that his (Donatus Obi’s) brother is the Deputy Speaker and that one of his children is also a lawyer working under the Chief Judge of Anambra State.
Mr. Ochife further accused Mr. Donatus Obi and his group of forcefully collecting illegal revenue from customers, the action of which he said had scared many customers from coming to the market to make their purchases.
He called on the Anambra State Government to quickly intervene before things get out hand.
Another stakeholder, Chief Okwuchukwu Emmanuel who corroborated other stakeholders maintained that Anambra State Government should refrain from imposing Transition Caretaker Chairmen on the traders, saying that Transition Caretaker Chairmen only come to make money and leave.
