The Anambra State Market Elders’Forum (ASMEF) has described the Bridgehead election held in Onitsha Anambra State as a sham and monumental fraud.
In a resolution after their meeting Friday the forum unequivocally condemned the the atrocity called election.
They noted that there was no election. “rather what happened was the extension of the tenure of the Caretaker Committee as earlier constituted be the government.
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 there must be representatives of about 34 markets that must be present.
“Unfortunately, in this case, the election was shrouded in secrecy.
“There was no notice of the election and people were not given opportunity to vote and be voted for.”
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 sent a representative in the election but was behind the fraud called election.
Mr Sunday Obinze said to have purportedly been elected as chairman is already facing several court cases.
“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 stagemanage another kangaroo and fraudulent elections in desperation to takeover the leadership of Bridgehead market.
“That election was part of Obiano’s undemocratic disposition. There was no representatives of about 34 markets in the Bridgehead.
“They were just put there as 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.