Tension is brewing at Electronic Dealers Association Onitsha (EDAO), Anambra State, as traders have rejected the caretakers committee put in place by government to run the affairs of the market .
The market executives had constituted Electoral Committee to conduct election for the various positions in the market, according to its constitution before government stopped it and constituted a caretaker committee.
The inauguration of the committee has thrown the market into confusion because members claimed it runs contrary to their constitution.
They also said that what they need is elected executives and not caretakers committee to run the affairs of the market .
Some of the stakeholders in the market who who spoke to Daily Trust said the government’s action is like throwing bomb into a peaceful environment.
A Board of Trustees member of the market, Chief Ben Anyawu, stated they were disappointed by the government appointment of caretakers committee.
According to him, the tenure of the sacked executive expired on 13 July, 2022, and they were expecting election in the market which members had opted for as the normal thing.
He said, “After concluding all arrangements for the conduct of election, the next we heard was that government does not want election to be conducted in any of Anambra market. They inaugurated caretaker committee on 29th of July in Awka without knowledge of members of the market. The caretaker committee was unveiled on 2nd of August 2022 without information and we thought they would present them to market on Wednesday being prayer meeting day, they did not. On Tuesday, when the former president unveiled the interim executives, many people were locked outside the market around 8am. The matter is still in the court and I don’t know what the government tend to gain.”
Also speaking, the immediate past deputy president of the market, Chukwubuike Kama, said the court had given order that status quo should be maintained in the market pending the determination of a suit filed over the issue.
He expressed worries over government’s failure to obey court order.
