From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The President General of Bridgehead Markets Chief Sunday Obinze has dismissed media reports alleging that there was a leadership tussle/crisis in the market where some traders were injured.
He said that there was nothing like as alleged by one Peter Okala in a media report credited to him saying that the man who alleged that some traders were injured in a leadership tussle in the market was trying to instigate crisis in the market.
Obinze said in a press briefing that he refused Okala and cohorts from using the market to campaign for their preferred aspirant in the forthcoming governorship election in the state that made them to be castigating the leadership of the market.
The market leader who was flanked by Sir Sylvester Ahanonu (Chairman of Power Tools), Chief Donatus Ajama (Chairman Onitsha Drug market) and Chief Beed Nwankwo (Chairman Timber market) alleged that Okala who doesn’t do business at the market claimed to be leading a non-existing group in the market, using it to cause disaffection in the market.
He also stated that the leadership of the market had on March 3 this year wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies in the state to checkmate and investigate the activities of the same Okala in the market.
Okala had also alleged that there was court order which sacked the leadership of the market which he said that the government (commissioner for trade and commerce) has refused to be honoured and implemented.
‘The alleged crisis and leadership tussle in the market was an imagination of one Peter Okala who was once a trader in the market but has relocated to his home at Uga community. To set the record straight, there is no crisis and there is no two rival leadership in the market. Okala makes his money when there is a crisis in the market.
‘On the said court order, we are not a party to the suit as was pronounced by the court. So since we are not a party to the case, there is no way the judgement or order will be implemented or executed against us.
‘The truth is that Okala is working with his political godfather to destabilize the market because they were here in the market for campaign but we stopped them and told them that our market is not a place for campaign. So, since that time he is trying to cause a problem in the market.
‘There is no crisis, the market is calm as you can see and we are calling Okala and his cohorts to leave our market out of their political interest. We shall not allow any blackmail, propaganda, misinformation, falsehood to prevail in the market,’ Obinze warned.