The Forum of Labour Party House of Assembly Candidates has knocked the Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, over the recent killing at the Ogbo-Ogwu Market in Onitsha as well as the destruction of newspaper stands and beating of vendors in Awka.
The group, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Humphrey Iloh, on Friday, described the attacks as “dictatorial” and “tragic,” adding that the governor’s silence on the development indicated that Anambra State was under siege.
The statement partly read, “Our attention has been drawn to trending news with pictorial and video evidence on social media of officials of some agencies the state government destroying newspaper stands and beating of newspaper vendors in Awka, on Thursday, February 15, 2024.
“Also, on Friday, February 16, 2024, at Ogbo-Ogwu Market in Onitsha; the brutal killing of one Mr Arinze Obuladike, a drug dealer at Ogbo-Ogwu, a resident of Iyiowa Odekpe, in Ogbaru LGA and indigene of Okija in Ihiala LGA, all in Anambra State; by Special Anambra State Anti-Touting Squad, a government agency that does not have the legal authority to bear arms or engage in violent acts as seen in the circulating videos.
“We the members of the Forum of Labour Party 2023 House of Assembly Candidates condemn in its entirety these double tragic and unfortunate acts by Soludo-led government agencies and other previous actions, which is a clear indication that Anambra State is now under a dictatorial regime.
“The Anambra State of today was not the friendly and peaceful Anambra that the previous governments left for Soludo. His current style of governance is totally against Section 14(2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, which declares that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”
The group stated that if the sad development continued it would be left with no option but “to approach the court and seek an order to compel the House of Assembly to commence the impeachment process on the governor, to rescue Ndi-Anambra from this dictatorial regime.”
When contacted, the spokesman for the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Mr Tony Olisa, described the LP group’s assertions as “baseless” intending to discredit the Soludo administration.
Olisa said, “The claims of the destruction of newspaper stands and beating of vendors in Awka on February 15, 2024, are entirely false. Our government upholds the freedom of the press and respects the rights of all individuals to conduct their businesses without fear of reprisal.
“The incident in Ogbo-ogwu, Onitsha, on February 16, 2024, involving the alleged killing of one Mr Arinze Obuladike by the Special Anambra State Anti-Touting Squad, is baseless. The SASA, which the Labour Party Forum acknowledged does not bear arms, couldn’t have shot a stray bullet killing the said drug dealer.
“SASA operates within the confines of the law and does not engage in extrajudicial activities. The Labour Party Forum should desist from politicising the incident. We condemn the spread of misinformation and the attempt to discredit our government with unfounded allegations.”
