Confusion has trailed the suit by an opposition group to force the chairman of Eke-Oyibo Amawbia Market, Awka, Mr. Dan Nwokoye out of office as the matter has been shifted to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Awka for further hearing.

The move was sequel to an application by counsel to the plaintiff, Nelson Uzoegbo, for discontinuation of suit at the Chief Magistrate Court, Anawbia soon after the Chief Magistrate, His Lordship Nonyelum Anyaegbunam had granted the plea for joinder to Awka South Market Amalgamated Union (ASMATU) as a necessary party.

The suit at the Magistrate Court was filed by the former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Market, Peter Nwogbo and one Okechukwu Okonkwo represented by Nelson Uzoegbo seeking for orders to affirm the validity of Nwokoye’s suspension and his replacement by his deputy, Uchendu Nwachukwu, the Secretary, Chinelo Oraedum and Nwogbo to run the affairs of the market.

When the case last came up, Uzoegbo had filed a motion for determination of whether the Magistrate Court has jurisdiction to entertain the suit. While the matter was subsisting, the plaintiffs’ Counsel, applied for discontinuation of the suit at the Magistrate Court, only to return to NICN to file a fresh suit on similar reliefs.

The Guardian gathered that the fresh suit, which was served by the plaintiffs on November 7, 2023, gives the Emmanuel Ike-Obi, the counsel to the defendants 14 days up to November 21, 2023, when he can turn in his reply.

In the suit at the Industrial Court against the Nwokoye-led Amawbia Market Amalgamated Traders Association (AMATA), the plaintiffs are seeking reliefs for validity of their suit, stoppage of Nwokoye from parading himself as the chairman of AMATA and an order directing the purported suspension of the deputy chairman, Uchendu Nwachukwu to take over the running of the affairs of the market in the interim.

Trouble started few months ago, when the embattled Nwokoye, was suspended by the Awka South Local Council Transition Committee Chairman, Thankgod Anagor, based on allegations of profiteering in the running of the affairs of the market by unilaterally allocating new stalls and controlling both the shares of Awka South Local Council Area and Amawbia Town Union in the ongoing multi-million naira rebuilding of the market.

Speaking on the development, the newly-appointed interim Secretary of the market, Amechi Okoyea, confirmed the move of the case to NICN. He alleged that the shift tended to delay justice and distract Nwoye from executing the multi-million-naira modern market in the area.