The governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has come under fire from the Forum of Labour Party House of Assembly Candidates for the recent death in the Ogbo-Ogwu Market in Onitsha, as well as for demolishing newspaper stands and assaulting vendors in Awka.
Prof. Chukwuma Soludo
In a statement released on Friday by its spokesperson, Humphrey Iloh, the organization called the attacks “dictatorial” and “tragic,” noting that the governor’s lack of response to the news suggested that Anambra State was under siege.
A portion of the statement said, “On Thursday, February 15, 2024, in Awka, newspaper sellers were beaten and newspaper kiosks were destroyed by state government officials, as evidenced by trending news stories on social media with images and videos.
Additionally, on February 16, 2024, on Friday, at Ogbo-Ogwu Market in Onitsha, one Mr. Arinze Obuladike, a drug dealer at Ogbo-Ogwu, a resident of Iyiowa Odekpe in Ogbaru LGA, and an Okija native in Ihiala LGA, all in Anambra State, was brutally killed by the Special Anambra State Anti-Touting Squad, a government organization that lacks the legal authority to carry out violent crimes such as those depicted in the going-around videos.
“These two terrible and regrettable crimes by Soludo-led government agencies, together with other earlier actions, are fully condemned by us, the members of the Forum of Labour Party 2023 House of Assembly Candidates. It is evident from these activities that Anambra State is currently governed by a totalitarian dictatorship.
“The Anambra State that the previous governments left for Soludo was not the amiable and tranquil Anambra that exists now. The Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 Constitution states in Section 14(2)(b) that the security and welfare of the people should be the principal goals of government. His present style of governing is completely at odds with this provision.
The organization said that in order to save Ndi-Anambra from this despotic dictatorship, they would have no choice but “to approach the court and seek an order to compel the House of Assembly to commence the impeachment process on the governor.”
Upon being contacted, Tony Olisa, the spokesperson for the All Progressives Grand Alliance, characterized the claims made by the LP group as “baseless” and meant to undermine the Soludo government.
“The claims of newspaper stand destruction and vendor beatings in Awka on February 15, 2024 are completely false,” stated Olisa. The freedom of the press and everyone’s right to do business without fear of retaliation are protected by our government.
“The Special Anambra State Anti-Touting Squad’s purported killing of Mr. Arinze Obuladike on February 16, 2024, in Ogbo-ogwu, Onitsha, is unfounded.” The aforementioned drug dealer could not have been killed by a stray gunshot fired by the SASA, which the Labour Party Forum confirmed does not carry firearms.
“SASA does not participate in extrajudicial operations; instead, it acts within the legal framework. It is time for the Labour Party Forum to stop making the incident political. We denounce the dissemination of false information and the attempt to undermine our government through baseless accusations.
