View of the Onitsha market
By Sunny A. David, Onitsha
The embattled President-General of Bridge-Head Markets Association, Mr. Sunday Obinze has emerged the leader of the market in an election conducted by delegates from the various unions that make-up the central association.
He emerged victorious by defeating his only rival, one Ikechukwu Orizu with 317 to 21 votes as the election was conducted in defiance of an Onitsha High Court judgment on May this year restraining the market executives or any other party from conducting the said election which had been a source of controversy for too long.
However, with the conduct of the election which took place at Godwin Achebe Mini-Stadium, Fegge, Onitsha South Local Government Area of the state with the state Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Wealth Creation, Dr. Christian Madubuko (PHD), in attendance.
With the conduct of that particular election on Tuesday, the stage is now set for another legal fire-work between the state government and the opposition groups led by an influential trader in the market and one of the plaintiffs, Sir. Peter Okala.
While thanking the newly elected leaders of the market for a peaceful conduct of the election, the state Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Wealth Creation, Dr. Christian Madubuko advised the new leaders to see themselves as servants and agents of the state government. He urged them to be honest and fair in their dealings with traders as their positions were that of service to the people.
In his post election speech, the new President-General thanked the traders for electing him for a second term and promised to lead with the fear of God.
In a sharp reaction some members of the Market Board of Trustees and aggrieved party led by Sir. Peter Okala and Secretary, Board of Trustees who later addressed the press at a different location in Onitsha dismissed the purported election as a nullity, stressing that despite receiving forms 48 and 49 from a Court of competent jurisdiction which restrained any party from conducting any election in the market, the Commissioner still went ahead to conduct what he described as a “kangaroo election.”
Sir Okala who was flanked by the members of this group expressed regret that a state functionary who was supposed to protect the law still went ahead to flout a lawful court order when such order was yet to be vacated by a superior court. He, however, called on Gov. Willie Obiano to immediately sack the Commissioner for setting a negative precedent in his (Obiano’s) government.
