The state party leaders, who conducted a tour of demolition sites in the state capital, described Mbah’s demolition exercises as an "economic terrorism on the people of Enugu State".
The Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised Governor Peter Mbah for the demolition of businesses for motor parks.
The state party leaders, who conducted a tour of demolition sites in the state capital, described Mbah’s demolition exercises as an "economic terrorism on the people of Enugu State".
Addressing journalists during the tour of the demolition sites on Tuesday, the state chairman of the party, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah, called on the House of Representatives to invoke its powers to set up an administrative panel of inquiry to stop "this land grabbing scheme and make sure commiserate compensation is paid to not only land owners of destroyed properties but also those whose businesses were destroyed".
Agballah said it was important that a national public inquiry be set up by the federal lawmakers to stop the “impunity” going on in Enugu and hold the governor responsible for desecrating the constitutional rights of the citizens to own property and carry on their lawful businesses.
He said, "We also call on those whose businesses were destroyed to seek redress and make sure they get commensurate compensation for their destroyed businesses and we pledge to fully support them. Enugu citizens should not tolerate this show of unbridled dictatorship, impunity and wickedness.
"The demolition of Holy Ghost/Railway/Okpara avenue axis, Gariki Market, Abakpa Market and Ogige Market in Nsukka had led to untold financial and psychological hardship on affected families, economic decline due to loss of revenue and jobs, deteriorating living conditions characterised by increased poverty, social unrest, increased crime and loss of goods and services."
The party warned Mbah to stop further demolition of parks, markets and others that had been marked for demolition.
Agballah explained that the party was forced to break its silence because of the "wanton, unbridled, callous and terrorist Gestapo style destruction of private homes, private motor loading bays, over a hundred warehouses, a burgeoning industrial cluster of over 200 palm kernel processing plants, which is the biggest supplier of PKO in the entire Eastern Nigeria,10 chemical producing warehouses that were built in the fifties and sixties by the U.T.C, S.C.O.A, Chris Chemist, Maduka and Sons Ltd, Mgbemena Family and Farm Associates, Hogis Engineering Company, Dizzy Oil Co Ltd, FCMB bank, Ecobank, Onitsha south, Eastern Mass transit Co, Chisco Mass Transit, Romchi Mass Transit, Oha Community Microfinance Bank and over three hundred shops”.
He lamented the destruction of “buildings and educational materials of OSISATECH Polytechnic, the biggest and foremost Polytechnic in Enugu State despite the fact that the owner Rev Fr. Emmanuel Edeh got a court order stopping the demolition”.
He said, “The governor ignored the order as the bulldozers went ahead to level the school. The Red Cross building which houses almost a hundred motherless babies was pulled down while the babies were in the building with no alternative made for them.
"This sudden destruction led to the death of one baby who couldn’t survive the shock. It is only a heartless government that will pull down a building where the motherless babies are sleeping without providing an alternative habitation for them. It is alleged that not less than ten persons died during the destruction of people’s properties. Some weeks ago, a decomposing body was exhumed from the debris.
"Only a vicious and soul-less government will destroy the training school of the civil engineering department of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, alongside ten three–bedroom flats that railway workers and some retirees were living that was built as far as 1940s.
"The workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) demonstrated and issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to negotiate on how to replace its offices, workshops and quarters demolished or face legal action.
“They stated that over N21 billion in property and equipment was lost by the railway alone in the demolition. It is good news to hear that the House of Representatives has ordered its Committee on Land Transport to commence an investigation into the destruction and forceful takeover of properties belonging to the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
"We would want Nigerians to note that what is going on is another land grab scheme characteristic of the ruling PDP Ebeano hegemony. This was the same tactic that was deployed by his predecessors in land-grabbing the zoological parks and gardens which were destroyed in the same manner and later parcellated to high-ranking members of the government.
“The same tactics were used to take over the biggest golf course which land was grabbed and parcellated to members of the government, same for Ikenga hotels, W.T.C Enugu, IMT Rectors Village, the land zoned for the building of Rangers stadium and even land meant for the conference centre which was initiated in the eighties by the Sampson Emeka Omeruah administration, this was the same tactic used to take over all ventilation and amusement parks and open spaces in Enugu city.”