The Board of Trustees of the embattled Amalgamated Market Traders Association of Anambra State (AMATAS) has suspended its former President General, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo.
The board said the decision to suspend Ezenwankwo followed alleged connivance with the State Government to destroy the association.
In a letter dated July 20 2019 titled “Suspension from AMATAS Board of Trustees”, by the associations acting Chairman and Secretary, Chief Emma Udegbunam and Chief Chuma Eruchalu, respectively, the board said the suspension was with immediate effect.
The letter made available to newsmen in Onitsha partly reads: “After a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Amalgamated Market Traders Association of Anambra State, AMATAS, on Saturday, July 20th 2019, the Board directed us to inform you that you are suspended as a member of the Trustees of the association forthwith.”
“The Board was constrained to take this decision because of your recent activities of aligning with the State Commissioner for Trade and Commerce and the Anambra State Government to destroy AMATAS.
“You will recall that the Board had taken you and the government to court and cannot be challenging your actions in court and still be meeting with you.
“You will also recall that the Board’s Attorney, on the instruction of the Trustees had earlier written to you to hand over the keys to the AMATAS secretariat to the Secretary of the Board which you have not done till now.
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“Instead, you arranged with the State Commissioner of Trade and Commerce, to give him the keys anytime he was ready for it according to the Commissioner.
“These actions of yours showed that you were in total alliance with the government to destroy AMATAS, which you know too well to be a corporate body, duely registered with Corporate Affairs Commission.
“All these while, you have not as the immediate past President General of the association, spoken to the State Government against their activities and actions against the association.
“In the light of foregoing and in compliance with Article 18, 3vi of the AMATAS Constitution, you are hereby suspended with immediate effect.
“It is most unfortunate that you are supporting the destruction of what you laboured so much to build.”
Commissioner for Trader Commerce and Wealth Creation last Monday banned AMATAS and took over its Secretariat after breaking into the two store building located at 52 Modebe Avenue Onitsha.
Government further declared AMATAS banned in the state and resuscitated the old traders union, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA).
The Commissioner had, while addressing newsmen after taking position of the AMATAS Secretariat, also known as ‘Traders House’, alleged the State Government had earlier agreed with Chief Ezenwankwo, that the keys to the Secretariat be handed over by Chief Vincent Ifeme to the state government anytime they came for it.
The alleged agreement did not go down well with the AMATAS BOT members, hence Ezenwankwo’s suspension, whom they also alleged had never called them week after the alleged plan to hand over their secretariat to government. [THE NATION]
