Breaking: Protest in Ogbete Market as Edeoga holds meeting with sealed shops owner, LP members, miscreants

By Ugwueze Kelechi

…declares support for Ekpa, sit-at-home order

Following a brief meeting yesterday evening, 25 July, 2023 with some Labour Party supporters and owners of the sealed shops together with the Labour Party governorship candidate in the last election, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, a protest has erupted at Ogbete Market on Wednesday over what was said to have been the aftermath of Monday sit-at-home sealing of shops owned by some traders in Enugu metropolis who have defied the state government’s directive to open their shops for economic activities to go on in the state.

A reliable source who who was also affected had told us that he had yesterday received a text message for them to converge on Ogbete Market today for a meeting on how to mobilise against the governorment sealing of their shops.

Our source disclosed that Hon. Barr. Chijioke Edeoga had through some Labour Party loyalists, called for a meeting yesterday at an undisclosed location declaring support for the sit-at-home order declared by a militia group, IPOB, and its leader, Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based Nigerian.

In the midst of over 100 people, Edeoga was seen reminding them that the government has no right to seal their shops and therefore should not allow their rights to be trampled upon, adding the he was a fan of Simon Ekpa and in total support of sit-at-home.

From our source who did not want his name in print, he said that they were all urged to stage a violent protest this morning as they have the right to choose whether they go to the market or not, and therefore not answerable to the state government or owe any apologies for them.

“Hon. Edeoga has also appealed to wheelbarrow pushers, and those Abakaliki boys lurking around Holy Ghost and Ogbete Market to come out in full force and start destroying people’s shops and property as a way of discrediting the state government. So, we are on ground,” the source said.

He further maintained that the governorship candidate of the Labour Party had told them that the only support they can give to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is to continue sitting at home and passing a message to the federal government pending when Nnamdi Kanu is being released.

The meeting which lasted for about 35 minutes had erupted violent protest from both the Labour Party supporters, miscreants and some of the affected market traders.

However, the government has responded to distress calls from market owners by quelling the protest. It’s not clear whether the government would take a stiffer sanction against defaulters and criminal protestors.