The Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) in Imo led by Sir Nnamdi Richard Anyaehie has urged President Muhammadu
Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the state due to “excesses” of
Governor Rochas Okorocha.
In a statement by the publicity
secretary of the party, Chief Enyinna Onuegbu, PDP expressed frustration that
the entire Imo landscape and inhabitants have been in mourning mood since the
night of Friday 25th August 2017 when the Governor rolled out bulldozers to
demolish the popular Owerri Main Market, the Hausa Quarters, and other private
properties along Douglas Road Owerri.
PDP said: “It has been the
saddest three days in the history of Imo State only comparable to the genocide
of the Civil War days. Indeed all Christian denominations, in all places of
worship last Sunday had a common sermon and prayer point for the Almighty God
to deliver Imo State from the evil clutches and despoliation by a Governor who claims
a mandate freely given by majority of the people he has now turned round to
punish like Pharaoh did to the children of Israel. We know their prayers shall
overcome Okorocha’s wickedness.
“The Peoples Democratic Party,
Imo State Chapter wishes to place on record that the Governor of Imo State had
no reason whatsoever to visit the inhabitants of Owerri Capital City with this
brazen demolition of the Owerri Main Market and the Hausa Quarters in the thick
of the rainy season and the dead of the night.
“The claim by the State
Government of having given ample notice and having an alternative site (a
naturally water logged ditch at Ohii in Mbaitoli L.G.A) is sheer falsehood.
This is because the Owerri Main Market cannot justifiably be relocated to a
Local Government that is not within the Owerri Capital Territory nor in Owerri
Federal Constituency. The residential areas and indigenous population in Owerri
cannot be relocated to the place where Okorocha claims to be a new site.
“We also know that the uncompleted
alternative site is already allocated to a private property development company
and third parties who are expecting the forceful eviction of traders in the
Main Market by Okorocha to provide them with tenants for their uncompleted and
water logged markets stalls at Ohii; A case of robbing Peter to pay Paul”.
“It must be recalled that the
ordinary market value of one stall in Owerri Main Market is above N5million and
for a state government to destroy a market of over 3,000 lock up stores is the
height of callousness and poor sense of basic economics.
“In Imo State, while it is
unarguable that there is a dearth of functional industries and employment
generating private sector investments, we have a market economy sustained by
our agricultural produce and from history the Owerri Main Market has been the
final destination of the collective produce of Imo State farmers.
“It is not proper to diminish the
vastness and economic potentials of the Owerri Main Market by describing it as
indigenes market called Eke-Ukwu Owerri. This is because, even the previous
State Administrations and the Owerri Municipal Council had built several
lock-up stalls with private sector participation and allocated to members of
the public over the years.
‘The majority of these stalls do not
belong to indigenes of Owerri. These stalls had also been serially numbered and
had registered title. Several owners had used their title deeds as collateral
for securing bank facilities in pursuit of improving the capacity or value of
their businesses. Who will pay the loans secured with the title documents of
properties in the Owerri Main Market?
“It is also clear that the
administration of Okorocha does not know that by virtue of the provision of
Fourth Schedule, Section 1, sub-section (e) to the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended); that the establishment, maintenance, and
regulation of Markets is within the exclusive competence of Local Governments.
“The state administration under
Okorocha’s tenure has illegally usurped this function of the Owerri Municipal
Council and brought unquantifiable losses on owners of Stalls in the Owerri
Main Market. The itinerant traders and their patrons who use the environs of
the market have been forced into an unmitigated refugee status.”
“We have it on good authority
that the plan of Okorocha is to recover the prime location of the Owerri Main
Market and allocate same (as is his practice) to a Private Limited Liability
Company to develop into a Shopping Complex. Like every Imo resident knows, such
proposed developer company must have some link with family and friends of our
insatiable leaders of today.
“It must also be recalled that as
far back as a year ago, a High Court had granted orders of injunction against
any demolition and removal of the market. The said matter is still pending in
Court. The Okorocha Administration true to its character of disregarding the
rule of law and due process chose to wait for the annual vacation of the High
Courts in Imo State this August in order to flout the extant court orders.
“In addition to the malicious
destruction of the Owerri Main Market is the national security risk occasioned
by the insensitive destruction of the popular Hausa Quarters along Douglas Road
Owerri. This is against the backdrop that tendencies inimical to the unity of
Nigeria exemplified in the agitations for breakup of Nigeria has been on the
rise since the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over the reins of
leadership at the National level.
“We therefore find the
destruction of residential and business premises at Hausa Quarters along
Douglas Road Owerri a deliberate effort to evoke separatist agitations and
cause a war between the otherwise hospitable Imo State indigenes and our
northern brethren who had been long resident in Owerri peacefully many years
before Okorocha returned from elsewhere to become Governor of Imo State.
“That a man who prides himself as
the Chairman of APC Governors Forum could be this insensitive to national
security issues shows indeed the quality of leadership evident in that
political party. It may be worthwhile for the Presidency to really investigate
the intention of Okorocha by this calamity he has wrought on the psyche of Imo
State residents likely to engender an attack on Imo indigenes resident in the
Northern parts of Nigeria. The leadership of APC must indeed be wondering whose
interest Okorocha is serving in Imo State.
“The State Governments apologists
have presently embarked on an organized media campaign founded on the falsehood
that nobody died as a result of the Gestapo destruction of Owerri Main Market.
The truth must prevail, which is that lives were lost and several were wounded
by gun shots with many admitted at the Federal Medical Centre Owerri. There is
also the likelihood that many more Imo residents will die from shock, high
blood pressure and maybe suicides in the aftermath of this genocide against our
people.
“On the claim that the Owerri
Main Market environs had become a hideout for suspected criminals, Okorocha and
his apologists need to be reminded that maintenance of law and investigation of
crime is the statutory work of the Nigerian Police Force (which has a Police
Station within the market) and other security agencies. It is not the work of
Okorocha administration to usurp the functions of the security agencies.
“It is also laughable that the
same Okorocha administration that has consistently used the services of
hoodlums and miscreants as revenue agents to terrorize Imo State residents is
now claiming that Owerri Main Market had been a hideout of criminals.
“The Governor needs to tell
Nigerians why over 500 youths suspected to be from Ohaji/Egbema L.G.A (the
hotbed of cultism) where his Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) Mr. Kingsley
Uju and the head of Imo Entraco (in charge of demolitions in Owerri) Mr. Jeff
Nwoha hail from, were brought into Owerri in government vehicles to lead the
onslaught against the market and traders while being given cover by soldiers
said to have been procured from outside Imo State.
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