Power Struggle at Ozomagana Market: Former Chair Denies Imposition Claims
Chairman of Ozomagala Building Materials Association, Onitsha Hon Tochukwu Umeh
The former chairman of Ozomagala Building Materials Association in Onitsha South Local Government Area, Chief Okey Muojekwu, has stated that the tenure of Chief Obiora Okoro as chairman of the market expired in 2023 and that there is no imposition of leadership by the Anambra State Government.
Speaking on the leadership dispute, Muojekwu maintained that Chief Okoro’s term officially ended after four years in office but he deliberately refused to conduct elections for new leadership, allegedly citing a directive from the state government banning elections in Anambra markets,a claim Muojekwu vehemently denied.
“His tenure expired in 2023. He refused to conduct elections and falsely claimed that Governor Soludo instructed that no elections be held. That is not true. I am a former chairman of the market and I can say categorically that the government did not stop elections. He simply refused to leave office,” Muojekwu added.
He further explained that the Anambra State Government, upon investigating the matter through a constituted committee, confirmed that Okoro’s tenure had lapsed and, accordingly, set up a caretaker committee headed by Hon. Tochukwu Umeh to oversee the market’s affairs until new elections are conducted.
“There is no imposition. The state only intervened to restore order. Okoro and his allies are the ones causing unrest by insisting on remaining in office illegally. He used the police to harass and intimidate traders because of the financial gains he derived from the market,” Muojekwu added.
According to Muojekwu, traders paid ₦180,000 per shop, and with over 489 shops in the plaza, substantial revenue was generated during Okoro’s tenure an amount he claims was never properly accounted for.
“He used that money to buy influence and oppress people in the market. Now that the government has removed him, he is trying to create chaos,” Muojekwu said.
Meanwhile, last week, Chief Obiora Okoro and another former chairman, Chief Ferdinand Ifezue, led a protest to the Onitsha South Local Government Secretariat, condemning the appointment of a caretaker committee. They described it as an imposition and accused the Special Adviser to the Governor on Markets, Chief Sir Everist Uba, of orchestrating the leadership change for ulterior motives.
During the protest, they carried placards with inscriptions such as:“Ozomagala is a Private Plaza, Not a Public Market,” “SPAD, Respect Court Orders,” “Stop Intimidating Us,” “We Say No to Imposed Leadership,” and “Leadership is Not by Force.”
Chief Okoro and Chief Ifezue claimed that their association, legally known as Ozomagala Building Materials Association, was unlawfully re-registered under a new name—Ozomagana Building Materials Market by Everist Uba, without the consent of members.
“SPAD Everist Uba went behind us and registered a different name just to force us into the public market system. We were never consulted. We are a private market,” Okoro said.
Responding to claims that the protesters had secured a court order in their favour, Muojekwu clarified that the only court order obtained was to prevent the police from arresting Chief Okoro on the grounds of a pending petition. It had nothing to do with the leadership crisis.
“What he got from the court was a fundamental human rights order preventing the police from arresting or charging him. It was not about the leadership issue. He filed it hurriedly after refusing police invitations over a petition at Zone 13,” Muojekwu explained.
He emphasized that Okoro had petitioned the police, resulting in the arrest of market leaders. However, when summoned for clarification, he failed to honour police invitations and only rushed to court when he feared being prosecuted for false information.
“He’s misleading the public. There’s no court order reinstating him or validating his leadership. The government acted within its powers to restore sanity to the market,” Muojekwu said
