‘Residents weren’t consulted’ – LP guber candidate faults recent demolitions in Enugu

• Demands compensation for victims 
• Criticise govt action for disregard for court orders

Chijioke Edeoga, governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections in Enugu, has condemned the recent demolitions of buildings by the state government.

He said the state government embarked on these activities without any form of consultation with the people and communities affected.

Edeoga, who alleged Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu, said he defied court orders and expropriating power of LGAs, describing the governor’s actions as “scary and unconstitutional.”

In a statement, the governorship candidate, lamented the destruction of Rev. Ede’s private polytechnic, denouncing the governments’ disregard for court order.

“If there have been suspicions that the administration in Enugu state is insensitive to public sentiment and disdainful of the rule of law, the demolition of OSISATECH tended to validate it,” the statement said.

”It is scary that a government that swore to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is routinely disobeying court orders.

Edeoga also criticised the government’s insensitivity, questioning forceful tax collection from those shops and destruction of their businesses without prior notice.

“The demolition of shops, a section of the Ogige Market is also quite troubling. This is because of the dislocation of hundreds of businesses on which the livelihoods of ordinary people and their families are dependent.

While acknowledging the need for urban renewal, Edeoga slammed the government for failing to consult with affected communities and provide relocation and compensation plans.

He called on the government to compensate those affected, build new markets, and demonstrate respect for the laws and orders of the courts.

“While it is understood that some of those areas demolished have constituted challenges of congestion and are due for some form of urban renewal, it must be recognized that no urban renewal activity has ever happened in one fell swoop.

“The essence of government everywhere in the world is the aggregation of the needs of the people into a pool where common solutions are incubated; it is the building of consensus on what constitutes the common good bearing in mind the social, economic, and even personal sensitivities.

“The Enugu State Government must take immediate steps to respect court orders as is the practice in every civilized democratic country.

” A culture of disrespect to the judiciary is tantamount to disloyalty to the Constitution which provides for three independent arms of government that act as checks on one another.”