Traders in the popular Bridgehead Drug Market in Onitsha, Anambra State have asked the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo to allow them to elect their leaders as against the existing caretaker committee imposed on them by the state government.
In a statement in Onitsha, on Wednesday, the traders, under the aegis of ‘Concerned People of Ogbogu’ threatened legal action if the state governor failed to allow them to conduct their elections.
The statement was by the group’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Ozoemenam with Osita Sopuluchukwu and Ozioma Okeke, representing Lines Secretaries and Chairman respectively.
They insisted that the management of drug markets in Nigeria is under the exclusive list of the Federal Government and that the Onitsha drug market is not an exception.
The group said traders had, in May 2023, written to Soludo, telling him of the concerns of the traders in the market; but that the governor gave them no reply.
They, therefore, warned that if within a reasonable timeframe, the state government refused to permit them to elect the market leadership themselves, they would be left with no option but to go to court to oust the existing caretaker leadership.
The statement added, “In 2020, during the regime of former governor Willie Obiano, the Bridge Head Drug Market obtained court judgement restraining the state government from appointing caretaker leadership in the market on the ground that the market should be controlled by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health.
“The traders, by this statement, are also calling on Governor Soludo to allow traders in the market to organise election and elect their own leaders; because, the market is under the Exclusive list, and Anambra State does not have the authority to appoint caretaker leadership in the market.
“Soludo is, by this statement reminded that when he came to power, he appointed caretaker leadership in the Bridge Head Drug Market, and promised that an election would be organised in the market within one year. One year has come and gone, but nothing happened.
“What we owe the state is the IGR accruing from the market, and we always remit the same to the state coffers.
“Therefore, if within a reasonable timeframe, the Anambra State government did not allow us to organise an election in our market, we will be left with no option than to drag the state to count”.
Efforts made to get the reactions of the state government, through the Special Assistant on Markets, Everistus Uba, were not successful, as the governor’s aide did not take his calls when contacted.
