David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
A group, Forum of Labour Party (LP) State House of Assembly Candidates, Anambra State, has condemned the action of the state Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to destroy the goods belonging to poor traders in the state.
The Awka Capital Territory Development Agency (ACTDA), while trying to enforce ban on street trading last week, destroyed wares belonging to street traders in Awka, the state capital.
The forum also condemned the suspension of a traditional ruler, Igwe Damian Ezeani of Neni community, for bestowing a chieftaincy title on the Senator representing Anambra South senatorial zone, Ifeanyi Ubah.
The LP forum in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Mr. OCN Okafor, and made available to journalists, said the governor was playing god, forgetting that power is transient.
They gave him 21 days to pay compensation to the traders whose goods were destroyed.
The group said: “On January 8, 2024, the Government of Anambra State, through the office of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, via a widely circulated letter in the media, suspended the traditional ruler of Neni community, H.R.H Igwe Damian O. Ezeani, for conferring a chieftaincy title on a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Also on January 16, 2024, there were viral videos on social media of public destruction and burning of goods and wares of some street hawkers in Awka by men armed with cutlasses and axes, allegedly working for the Awka Capital Territory Authority.
“We condemn these two actions of the state government on its citizens, as they are barbaric, inhuman and wicked, and we warn the Governor Chukwuma Soludo not to throw our dear state into anarchy with his tyrannical tendencies.
“As much as we are not encouraging the disobedience to existing laws in the state, from our investigations, there was no existing law/code of conduct prohibiting Anambra State traditional rulers from conferring chieftaincy titles on non-indigenes of their community.
“We request that the state government should pay compensation to those that their goods were destroyed within 21 days. Failure to do so, we shall encourage our members who their indigenes or residents in the affected local government areas to seek redress in court.”
