Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Traders under the auspices of the Amalgamated Market Traders Association of Anambra State (AMATAS) has dragged the state government to a Federal High Court sitting in Awka.
This followed alleged plot by the state government to impose caretaker leadership whose tenure is supposed to elapse at the end of this month.
President of AMATAS, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, had bowed out on June 4 during the general meeting of the association, before the expiration of his tenure, as such June 5 scheduled election was postponed.
The traders saw the vacuum as a way to impose a caretaker committee against the constitution of the union, which is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
Various markets in the state are mobilising for protest and a possible shutdown of markets, if government insisted on the appointment of caretaker leadership instead of an election as stipulated by the constitution of the union.
Acting Chairman of Board of Trustee (BoT) of AMATAS, Chief Emmanuel Udegbunam and the Secretary, Chuma Eruchalu, while briefing newsmen in Onitsha, said Governor Willie Obiano has been served a pre-action notice.
AMATAS BoT alleged that government had perfected a plot to appoint caretaker, saying in as much they were not trying to oppose the government, they would follow due process democratically to elect the union’s leadership.
“We learnt that the government is planing to put a relative of the wife of the governor as caretaker committee chairman. It is not done and we cannot allow that; election must be conducted. We have complained to some people in the state over this matter, including the national chairman of APGA.
“But, the board doesn’t want to go into confrontation or throw a challenge to the government. We want to raise some vital issues which government needs to look at and reconsider their position. In the first place, AMATAS is a corporate body. It’s a non-governmental organisation registered with CAC.