By Gloria Anaeze

ONITSHA — The Anambra State Markets Elders Forum (ASMEF) has challenged Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to end what it described as the prolonged administration of major markets in the state by caretaker committees, demanding the immediate commencement of elections to give traders a say in who leads them.

The forum said that the continued appointment of caretaker committees in markets across the state had weakened democratic participation and created a leadership structure that, in some cases, had remained in place for more than four years.

In a statement issued in Onitsha at the weekend, President-General of ASMEF, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, argued that market leadership should reflect the wishes of traders, just as elected political leaders derive their legitimacy from the electorate.

The elders particularly called for the election of a new leadership of the Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), the umbrella body representing market associations across the state.

According to ASMEF, the governor should use the recent local government elections in the state as an opportunity to extend the principles of democratic representation to the state’s markets.

“ASMEF is calling on Soludo to commence the process of organizing elections in all the markets that still have caretaker appointees in the state, including ASMATA itself because all the existing cagretaker committees have overstayed their tenure.” the group said.

The forum maintained that fresh elections could bring new ideas, strengthen accountability and reduce tensions associated with prolonged leadership by appointed committees.

It further argued that allowing traders to freely elect their representatives would promote peaceful coexistence within the markets and give market leaders a stronger mandate when dealing with government authorities.

“Election of leaders in the markets will no doubt inject fresh ideas as against the incumbent caretaker committees which have exhausted their ideas,” the statement said.

The demand came as gainst the backdrop of growing concerns over the administration of markets, where leadership often played a critical role in issues ranging from revenue collection and sanitation to security, dispute resolution and the relationship between traders and government agencies.

ASMEF therefore urged the Soludo administration to treat market elections as part of its broader democratic and governance agenda, beginning with ASMATA and subsequently extending the exercise to markets still operating under caretaker arrangements.

The elders said that a transparent electoral process would not only provide legitimacy to market leadership but also give traders greater confidence in the institutions responsible for representing their interests.

The forum’s position effectively put the administration before a broader governance question: whether market leadership should continue to be determined through government appointments or returned to the traders through periodic elections.