Market leaders across Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State have endorsed all candidates of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) ahead of the 2027 general elections, pledging to mobilise traders in their respective markets for the party.
The endorsement was announced during a strategic meeting attended by market leaders, APGA candidates, party stakeholders, youth and women leaders, councillors, ward chairmen and secretaries from the six wards in Okpoko community.
The meeting, held at Madam Di-Maalu Joint, opposite Obiano Terminal Motor Park along Obodoukwu Road, Ogbaru, brought together representatives of major markets in the area.
The markets included Ogbaru Main Market, popularly known as Relief Market; Plastic Market; Ogbo-Efere Market; Old Motor Spare Parts Dealers Market, Amazu; Scrap Dealers Market; International Textile Market, Ogbo-Abada; Solution Market, Okpoko; Coca-Cola Market; and Fruits and Vegetable Market, among others.
Speaking at the gathering, the Coordinator of the Market Leaders, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu, said the meeting was organised to enable traders to publicly declare their support for APGA, which he described as their preferred political party.
Ochiogu, an APGA chieftain and major party sponsor in Ogbaru, said the market leaders had resolved to support all the party’s candidates contesting various elective positions in the area.
He disclosed that the leaders planned to erect billboards bearing the images of APGA candidates in markets across Ogbaru to demonstrate their commitment to the party ahead of the elections.
According to him, he had already installed a billboard at the entrance of his market and decorated the market fence with APGA logos and pictures of the candidates.
“All markets in Ogbaru are for APGA. No other political party will be allowed to campaign in our markets. We assure you of our support and you will win,” Ochiogu declared.
Other market leaders who spoke at the meeting reaffirmed their commitment to the party, while presenting specific requests and challenges affecting their respective markets. They expressed confidence in their ability to mobilise traders and secure support for APGA.
In his remarks, the APGA Secretary in Ogbaru Local Government Area and Director-General of Senator Stella Oduah’s campaign organisation in Okpoko, Hon. Chimezie Osigwe, described the party as a movement and commended the market leaders for taking the initiative to mobilise support ahead of the elections.
Osigwe disclosed that a 23-member executive committee had been established in markets across Ogbaru to coordinate mobilisation efforts and work towards the party’s victory.
He urged the market leaders to install billboards in their respective markets as a visible demonstration of their support for APGA, expressing confidence that the party’s structures would help strengthen its electoral prospects in the area.
Also speaking, the APGA Chairman in Ogbaru, Pastor Onochie Obiora, praised the market leaders for their commitment and expressed optimism about the party’s chances in the forthcoming elections.
Responding on behalf of Senator Stella Oduah, who was present at the meeting, one of the candidates, Hon. Chukwuka Wilfred Onyema, thanked the market leaders for their show of support.
Onyema, an experienced politician, assured the traders that their concerns would receive attention. He specifically promised that the candidates would arrange a condolence visit to the Old Motor Spare Parts Dealers Market in Amazu following the gruesome killing of its former chairman.
He said the candidates would avoid making promises they could not fulfil and pledged to work with Ochiogu and the zonal leader, Chief Ogboo-Ogu Nwanodi, to address the traders’ requests gradually.
“We have heard all your demands and we promise to address them to the best of our ability. Our core mandate is to serve you and represent you well,” Onyema said.
He recalled that he and Ochiogu had belonged to opposing political camps when he was in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but had since reconciled, describing their reunion as an example of the unifying role of politics.
The endorsement is expected to strengthen APGA’s grassroots mobilisation efforts in Ogbaru as political activities gradually gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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