Unless citizens unite to challenge the excesses of governors who act as emperors, Nigeria’s democracy will continue to experience shocks and setbacks. Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo, an environmental activist and convener of Movement for the Voice of Democracy (MOVERS), asserted in an interview with The Guardian yesterday.

He said that the gains of fiscal autonomy granted to local councils will be hard to come by if the electorate continues to overlook the arbitrariness of state chief executives, adding that the people should serve as the bulwark of grassroots governance.

Okonkwo, who spoke against the background of his decision to drag the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to court, said this was necessitated by the need to make the governor respect the boundaries of the law as provided in the nation’s constitution.

He disclosed that he was piqued when he learnt about the governor’s plans to relocate the Afor Nnobi Market in his community for capricious reasons, stressing that the local council is charged with the oversight function of local markets and not the state government.

Recall that after a stakeholders’ meeting between leaders of the Nnobi Community in Idemmili Local Council and representatives of the Anambra State Government on March 23, 2025, the governor conveyed the decision to demolish the Afor Nnobi market.

But Okonkwo faulted the governor’s intention, saying it was wrong to browbeat the community by asking them to choose from among Agu Awuda, Agu Umuagu, Offiah Idemmili, and Agwu Icha as an alternative for the relocation of the market.