By Chuks Eke
As traders in various markets in Anambra state begin to endorse Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s second term bid, the leadership of Ikemba front has stated that genuine traders in the state would not vote for Soludo as a result of triple levies and taxations his administration imposed on them.
Traders, under the umbrella of Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA in Idemili and Ogbaru Zones had recently endorsed Soludo for re-election, saying that he has so far performed so creditably in all the sectors that he needs to go for a second term to complete all the developmental projects he has initiated in his present first tenure.
A patron of ASMATA and President of Building Materials International Market, Ogidi, Chief Jude Nwankwo, led the endorsement exercise for Idemili zone held at Idemili North Local Government Secretariat, Ogidi, while the President of Ogbaru Main Market Traders Association, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu led the Ogbaru zonal endorsement inside the Ogbaru main market during the 40th year anniversary celebration of the market.
But in reaction to the endorsements, the Ikemba Front, one of the strong supporters of the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah which has now pitched tent with Evangelist Nicholas Ukachukwu (Ikukuoma), the Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC which is considered to be one of the strongest oppositions to Soludo’s re-election bid, under the candidature of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, described the endorsements as false exercises.
National Coordinator of Ikemba Front, Hon. Arinzechukwu Awogu who made the allusion at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity Cathedral, Onitsha during a Special Thanksgiving Mass officiated by the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha Archdiocese, His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Valeria Maduka Okeke and attended by Ukachukwu and his supporters, said he is sure that genuine traders in all the markets in the state would not vote for Solution on November 8 governorship election in the state.
According to Hon. Awogu, most of the market leaders endorsing Soludo were those foisted on the genuine traders by the Governor as caretaker committees who are working tirelessly to retain their positions.
“Majority of genuine traders in Anambra State will never vote for Soludo because of heavy levies he imposed on them. They pay through their noses for stallage fees, security levies all all other sorts of different levies imposed on them inside the markets by the Soludo administration”.
“I am therefore using this medium to sympathize and console the traders over the high rate of levies imposed on them by this administration and I am using this opportunity to ask them to take a wise decision this time around by changing the administration and bringing in a more humane and considerate one”.
“In Anambra, the market constituency is a dominant voting one which is currently ladden with a yoke rolling down into a guillotine by the Soludo government. That constituency is mindful of the inventor of their pain and as such no person from the market constituency will vote for him and you can take for free from me that no trader in Anambra will endorse Soludo except of course, those warrant chiefs he foisted on the markets as caretaker committees”, said Awogu.
