Press conference of the Bridgehead Elders Forum 23rd May,2019

Arrest Obinze, Ex Bridgehead Market PG, Elders Forum pleads to Obiano, Security Operatives

The Bridgehead Elders Forum (BEF), has called for immediate arrest of the the immediate past President General of Bridgehead Market, Onitsha, Mr. Sunday Obinze alias (Ogwu-Ego, Ritual Money)

In a crowded press conference addressed at the market yesterday, BEF’s chairman, Chief Samuel Osakwe, said Obinze should be arrested and charged to Court for contempt of Court and for allegedly defrauding the State Government over N160m being the of money collected in 2016/17 Stallage,development and sanitation levies of N80m each totalling N160 million

He alleged that the money was duly collected by Obinze but was not in any way traced to any State Government account.

In 2018 , we also learnt that, the State Government contracted the collection of the said money to Messr Sure-life Industries Pharm, Limited at the cost of N80m, which the company has already completed its payment and had returned the amount to Government treasury.

We affirmed that Obinze should be compelled to refund all the STALLAGE, SANITATION and DEVELOPMENT LEVY monies so collected from the traders of the markets with fake receipts printed and distributed to members of the public ( Traders)

The Elders Forum asked the State Government to adopt the Ogbaru Main Market option by arresting and prosecuting Obinze, demanding that he should be indicted and disqualified from contesting any further election in Bridge Head market over his traceable incidents of glaring cases of corruption.

We call on the DSS Director Mr Yusuf Isyaku,the CP Anambra Mr Mustapha Dandura, EFCC,ICPC,Anti Fraud Units to immediately arrest Mr Obinze and compels same to retrieve and return all the monies criminally collected into from his private pockets without further delay.

The group condemned in totality the state government collaboration with Obinze and said that Obinze’s failure to adhere strictly to the provisions of the Constitution of the market and immediately returned all the monies collected makes mockery of the Commissioner of Commerce and Wealth Creation Mr Christian Madubuko’s purported fight against corruption useless,self enrichment
and glaringly supporting corruption

It is very sad to note that on July 2018, the Commissioner for Commerce,Trade and Wealth Creation Chief Christian Madubuko had sermon a crucial meeting with of Board of Trustees,Patrons, stakeholders and Chairmen and Secretaries of the entire Bridge Head Market Onitsha and ferociously informed the General House ( The entire General market leadership in Bridge Head Market) that Mr Sunday Obinze defrauded the State Government of the whole 2016/2017 Stallage fee,Development levy and Sanitation amounting to the tune of N80M each totalling over N160 M?

The 2016/2017 Stallage fee, development Levy if strictly accounted for will be within the region of about N130M which was also collected by Mr Sunday Obinze and the said money was not paid into Anambra State Government account/,Treasurer and Fake Anambra State receipt was issued to Traders in Bridge Head Market in via of the said amount collected by Obinze.

Again also in the 2018 Stallage and Development Fee was contracted to Mssr Surelife Pharm Industries Ltd Asaba for N80M and the company has been paid the agreed amount of N80M via the personal Assistant (P.A) to Chief of Staff to an account provided vide one Mr Ifeanyi but our investigation contended that no such money was paid into the State Government account till now.

We call for the review of the Constitution in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of the traders which was a consent judgment of Anambra State High Court in Suit No.0/75/2014.

The consent judgment stated among other things that the Constitution be reviewed three months after the election that produced Obinze.

The Crux of reviewing the Constitution was to allow the only duly registered and financial up-to-date members voted and be voted for into the Central Executive of the market.

We said “what this means is that the expected review will pave the way for all the traders in the market to participate in any election to elect their leaders. Nothing therefore should be done to disenfranchise the traders”

However, Obinze in clear violation of Court order, Osakwe said, failed to review the Constitution until three weeks to the expiration of his tenure this May and with collaboration with some market leaders and some government officials plan to conduct another election on May 28,2019 in total violation of recent Court order.

We accused Obinze of reviewing the Constitution without the input of traders to favour him and give him the opportunity to rig the election in clear contravention of the popular consent judgment and recent court order restraining any party from conducting any election until further notice and that each financial member be allowed to vote and be voted for but we the Anambra market leadership for suspending the kangaroo constitution.

We therefore said that Bridgehead traders should be allowed to exercise their franchise politically by allowing each financial up todate member to choose a leader of their choice inline with the consent judgment adopted by the stakeholders before the emergency of his first tenure BEF warned.