The Labour Party members also faulted the subsequent destruction and burning of goods belonging to petty traders in Awka, the state capital by Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration.
The Forum of Labour Party State House of Assembly candidates in Anambra State has condemned the suspension of the traditional ruler of Neni Community, Igwe Damian O. Ezeani,
The Labour Party members also faulted the subsequent destruction and burning of goods belonging to petty traders in Awka, the state capital by Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration.
The forum asked the government to pay compensation to those whose goods were destroyed within 21 days or they would encourage them to seek redress in court.
SaharaReporters reported on January 18, 2024, that the Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council (ASTRC), Igwe Alfred Achebe, had faulted the state government’s sanctioning of traditional rulers for granting chieftaincy titles to certain individuals.
The state government on January 8, 2024, through the office of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs via a widely circulated letter, suspended the traditional ruler of Neni community, H.R.H Igwe Darmian O. Ezeani, for conferring a chieftaincy title on a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Achebe, who is the Obi of Onitsha, regretted the harsh action of the government regarding the suspension of the traditional ruler because he conferred a chieftaincy title on the Senator representing Anambra South, Ifeanyi Ubah.
He reminded Governor Soludo that the livelihood of traditional rulers in Anambra State does not depend on the selling of chieftaincy titles or the N175,000 monthly stipend the state government gives to monarchs but on their own hard-earned modest personal resources.
The suspension has since drawn wide condemnation of the Soludo government’s “intolerance and high-handedness”.
However, the forum of the Labour Party candidates in the state in a statement issued on Saturday, reminded Governor Soludo that power is transient, warning him to stop playing God.
The statement was titled: "RE: Removal of H.R.H. Igwe Damian O. Ezeani of Neni Community, destruction and burning of petty traders’ goods in Awka by the Government of Anambra State: Prof. Soludo should stop playing God, power is transient."
The forum regretted the viral videos on social media of public destruction and burning of goods and wares of some street hawkers in Awka, by men armed with cutlasses and axes, working in the office of Awka Capital Territory Authority, describing the two actions of the government on residents as "barbaric, inhumane and wicked".
The forum said it does not in any way encourage disobedience to existing laws in the state; it, however, warned the governor not to throw the state into anarchy with his tyrannic tendencies.
The forum said, "From our investigations, there was no existing law/code of conduct prohibiting Anambra State Traditional Rulers from conferring Chieftaincy Titles on non-indigenes of their community.
“This was affirmed and validated by the widely circulated letter by the Chairman of Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, H.R.M Igwe Dr Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe (CFR), a first-class Traditional Ruler of repute.
"Furthermore, after a careful study of the Anambra State Land Use Law, there was no clear contravention by the street traders that warranted the trauma, intimidation, humiliation and threat with cutlasses and axes, before destroying and burning their goods and wares.
"However, assuming without conceding that they contravened any law or agreeing with the State Government's claim that they were constituting nuisance, they could have been removed peacefully, even though, no neighbourhood market was constructed by the State Government for proximity for the residents of the area.”
The forum, however, asked the Anambra government to pay compensation to those whose goods were destroyed within 21 days.
"Failure to do so, we shall encourage our members that their indigenes or residents in the affected Local Governments to seek redress in court.
"Finally, we commend the chairman of Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, H.RM Igwe Dr Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe (CFR) and the House of Representatives member representing Awka North and South Federal Constituency, Prof. Oby Lilian Orogbu for publicly speaking against these intimidations and barbaric acts by the Anambra State Government," it added.