29th December, 2014
Nigeria’s South-East Amalgamated Market Traders Association (SEAMATAS) said on Monday that it had not adopted any candidate for the 2015 presidential election, expected to be a straight fight between President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP and Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.
The association’s President-General, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, said this at a media briefing after an emergency meeting held in Onitsha, Anambra.
According to him, the market leaders are still consulting on the matter and that the consultation had become necessary for avoidance of sentiments and bandwagon syndrome.
“Today, we have resolved that South-East traders have not adopted anybody as their candidate for the 2015 presidential election.
“Let me assure you that by the 15 of January (2015), we will convene a general meeting of all the market leaders and their secretaries in the South-East, we will adopt a candidate in that meeting.
“Yes, like I said before that we are not politicians, we are doing our legitimate business. So what we are saying is to create an enabling environment for us to do our business.
“So we need a candidate that would assist traders. We are not politicians; we are not taking issue with any political party.
“And we are happy they have conducted their primaries free and fair and presidential candidates for different parties had emerged; good luck to all of them.’’
The president-general said that the traders had resolved not to follow any candidate based on mere sentiment without looking at concrete achievement and track-record.
“We are traders and we do not want to plant seed of discord and mistrust among our midst by unilaterally endorsing any candidate without wider consultation from millions of traders from hundreds of markets dotting the South-East.
“We owe it a duty to direct our members aright and purposefully on how and who to vote for without putting sentiments and bandwagon notion into it
“We would not endorse any candidate, who would not or had not protected traders’ interest on Jan. 15, 2015.’’
Ezenwankwo, however, said the presidential candidate to be adopted by traders must have plan and policy framework to reduce the cost of doing business in the country.
The pan-Igbo political organisation, Ohanaeze said it has adopted President Goodluck Jonathan.