Crisis Looms At Onitsha Drug Market Over Cancelled Election , Calls On Obiano To intervene

Odogwu Mdia reports that if urgent steps are not taken to assuage frayed nerves at the popular Onitsha Bridge-Head Drug market over the cancellation of market elections scheduled for Monday 29^th September this year, the current fragile peace being enjoyed by traders in the area may be shaken to its foundation as many traders have vowed to do everything possible to see the return of an elected executives in the fragile market.

The traders are clamoring for elected executives instead of a caretaker government that has ruled the market for almost sixteen Months now.

 Odogwu Media reports that about 45 contestants for the aborted election later had a closed door meeting where they all resolved to meet with the officials of the state government for a resolution of the stalemate even as they called on Governor Willie Obiano to ensure he intervenes to give the traders an elected leadership.  

 Traders of the drug market had last Monday trooped out en-masse to Godwin Achebe Mini Stadium, Onitsha South Local Government Area, the venue of the aborted election to elect new leaders for the market, but were disappointed when rumors of the cancellation of the purported election filtered in that Anambra State Government had cancelled the proposed election based on a petition written by some aggrieved traders of the market.

   In a twist, the chairman of the market Evangelism Group, Bro. Chinonye  Offor, the secretary, Collins Umahi, Titus Uwah and Rowland Nwafor, both former leaders who have been championing against unelected leaders could not believe that the purported petition which they said was not weighty enough to compel the state government to wage a sledge hammer over an election that had long been awaited for.

The traders who expressed disappointment with the market leadership led by the chairman, Hon. Ugochukwu Nwosu said that despite the antics of the chairman they would continue to push for an election in the drug market.

They posited that the market had never fared well under caretaker leadership, stressing that the drug market was worse hit in 2007 when it was shut down for business by NAFDAC and regretted that the state government was yet to show enough commitment to the plight of traders in the market

In a swift reaction, the chairman of Onitsha Bridge- Head Drug Market, Hon. Ugochukwu  Nwosu who was appointed by the state government as caretaker committee chairman   debunked all the allegations that he was against any election in the market.

According to Hon. Nwosu, “eligible voters and contestants had converged at the venue of the aborted election when an instruction came from government that  the election should be suspended to give the government enough time to investigate all the issues raised by the petitioners which has Chinedu Asuzu, Emeka Okeke and Charles Mbagwu as signatories"

 The embattled chairman maintained his readiness to conduct a free and fair election each time the state government gives its nod for the election to go on.

Hon. Nwosu stated that the committee was watching the situation with keen interest and promised that his committee would not hesitate to conduct a free and fair election with the approval of the state government