Security Concerns: Anambra Electricity Consumers Suspend Protest Against EEDC/FirstPower

Security Concerns: Anambra Electricity Consumers Suspend Protest Against EEDC/FirstPower

Security Concerns Stall Electricity Consumers’ Protest in Anambra

Power Supply Crisis: Anambra Consumers Suspend Protest Over Security Threats

Anambra Electricity Consumers Put Protest on Hold Over Security Concerns

Consumers Suspend Protest Against EEDC/FirstPower Ahead of Anambra Inauguration

Security Agencies’ Warning Forces Suspension of Anambra Electricity Protest

The Electricity Consumers Rights Network has suspended the protest rally earlier scheduled for Saturday, March 14, in Awka, the Anambra State capital, against FirstPower Limited.
The group, led by Comrade Osita Obi, had planned the protest to express dissatisfaction with what it described as epileptic power supply by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) and its subsidiary, FirstPower.
Addressing journalists in Awka on Friday afternoon, Obi clarified that the protest had been suspended, not cancelled.
He explained that the decision followed security concerns raised by several agencies, including the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Anambra State Government, ahead of the governor’s inauguration scheduled for March 17.
According to Obi, the agencies warned that the protest could be hijacked by hoodlums, thereby posing a security threat.
Obi also disclosed that he had received more than 157 phone calls, some of which contained threats, urging him to call off the protest.
He, however, denied allegations that he had been bribed to suspend the demonstration, insisting that no individual or organisation could induce him to abandon the cause.
“After listening to these concerns, we decided to suspend the protest rather than cancel it,” he said.
Flanked by Mr. Tony Erike and Mr. Okpara Nonso, who are co-conveners of the protest, Obi stated that he would not want to take any action capable of jeopardising peace and stability in the state.
He therefore urged electricity consumers to attend a town hall meeting scheduled by FirstPower on March 18, where residents would have the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification about the electricity situation in the state.
“We will continue to engage; we are not chickening out,” Obi stressed.
He also criticised the quality of power supply in the state, describing it as “useless.”
According to him, even the limited hours of electricity supply remain inconsistent and unreliable.
Electricity consumers in Anambra State, under the Electricity Consumers Rights Initiative and the Electricity Consumers Rights Network, had earlier planned the protest to draw attention to poor electricity supply and high estimated billing.
The protest was intended to highlight the growing frustration among residents over erratic power supply despite the introduction of Band A electricity tariffs, which promise improved service delivery.
The agitation comes amid the recent transition of electricity distribution operations in the state to FirstPower, a subsidiary of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).