The yesterday purported election of Bridgehead election has been described as fake and monumental fraud”.
The Anambra State Market Elders’Forum (ASMEF) in a resolution after their meeting in Onitsha today Friday unequivocally Comdemn the highest level the atrocious and anti people’s se/election where all the executives was returned unopposed and said that there was no election of the Bridgehead market elections that tookplace, rather what happened was the extension of the tenure of the Caretaker Committee as earlier constituted be the government which has been notified by a Court of competent jurisdiction and served him with relevant court proceedings.
The group in the resolution signed by its president, Chief Uzor A Uzor, and other officers of the body said to conduct a credible election into the umbrella body of Bridgehead market should have full representatives of about 34 markets in the must be present.
Unfortunately, in this case, they said, the election was shrouded in secrecy.
They said there was no notice of the election and people were not given opportunity to vote and voted for, saying that the entire exercise lacked basic ingredients of democracy.
But the Elders’Forum expressed shock that the Commissioner for Commerce and Market, Chief Okafor (Wiper) who has been in Government since Peter Obi’s regime was sent a representative in the election but was behind the fraud called election. Mr Sunday Obinze the alleged purported fraudulent selection chairman had several court cases hanging on his head.
When he was served with forms 48 and 49 recently, he ran to the Commissioner who rearranged and constituted him as another Caretaker Committee after the expiration of his earlier tenure.
We also learnt that he went further to reregister the association making himself a life BoT Chairman.
Now he has gone ahead to allegedly stagemaneged another kangaroo and fraudulent elections for desperately want to takeover the leadership of Bridgehead market.
“That election was part of Obiano’ undemocratic disposition.
There is no representatives of about 34 markets in the Bridgehead.
They were just put there as the cronnies of the Governor and his wife to be extorting money from traders.
The last 3 years of relevant statutory levies collected from traders by Sunday Obinze has not been issued with any receipts to over 2 million traders in the market.
The so called election was fraud.
And they want to replicate that same thing in all the markets in the State.
They had already tested the fraud at Bridgehead, UPJA , Tools and Allied in Bridgehead market including Building Material Market Ogidi among others.
They just want to create crisis in the markets in the state” said Elders’ Forum.
The Forum called for the immediate dissolution of the Bridgehead market and proper election to be conducted under the guidelines of Amalgamated Market Association of Anambra State Traders otherwise known as AMATAS.
The group therefore issued seven days ultimatum to the Anambra State Government to dissolve all executives that emerged from the purported fraudulent selection and immediately set up a proper Electoral Committee to conduct free, fair and credible elections in all the markets in the State including Bridgehead market.
But if they fail to do so and continue to impose on the traders of this State their next of kins they will face massive protests by the traders. Chief Uzor warned.
