The Advocacy Network On Religious And Cultural Coexistence (ANORACC) has strongly condemned Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s recent decision to shut down the Onitsha Main Market for one week. The network describes the move as an illegal, high-handed, and counterproductive assault on the fundamental rights of private citizens.

Responding to the Governor’s social media announcement where he labeled the Monday "sit-at-home" as economic sabotage, ANORACC maintains that the Governor is overstepping his constitutional boundaries.

"Governor Soludo is behaving as though he is an absolute monarch rather than a democratically elected leader," the statement read.

"In a free society, a businessman or woman has the absolute right to decide when to open or close their shop. If a trader chooses not to open on Monday—whether due to security fears, religious leanings, or personal discretion—it is not the business of the state to punish them.

"There is no law in the Nigerian Constitution that mandates a seven-day work week for private citizens."

ANORACC found the Governor’s logic particularly flawed, noting that his "remedy" for economic sabotage is to cause even more sabotage. By locking the market for an entire week to punish a one-day closure, the Governor has single-handedly paralyzed the commerce of the region more effectively than any "unknown gunmen" ever could.

"The Governor claims he is protecting the people’s interests, yet he is the one halting their livelihoods," said the National Coordinator for ANORACC.

"He says no group has the right to stop people from working, then proceeds to use the military and police to do exactly that. This is the height of hypocrisy. You cannot cure a headache by cutting off the head."

The network further argued that the "sit-at-home" is a failure of state security, not a crime committed by traders.

"The people are staying home because they are afraid. Instead of providing the security he promised, the Governor is bullying the victims. He is punishing traders for his own administration's inability to secure the streets."

ANORACC calls on Governor Soludo to immediately reopen the Onitsha Main Market and apologize to the traders. The network warns that such dictatorial tendencies threaten the cultural and economic coexistence of the state.

"Anambra is a hub of enterprise built on the blood and sweat of independent individuals. If the Governor wants people to come out on Mondays, he should earn their trust by providing safety, not by threatening their survival.

"We will not stand by while the government treats hardworking citizens like criminals for simply managing their own private businesses."

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