By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The leader of the Electricity Consumers Rights Network, Comrade Osita Obi has announced the suspension of the earlier planned protest against the epileptic power supply by EEDC/FirstPower slated for Saturday has been suspended

Obi who stated this during a press briefing in Awka on Friday observed that the protest had only been suspended, not cancelled.

According to him, the decision followed security concerns raised by security agencies, including the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Anambra State Government ahead of the governor’s inauguration on March 17.

He said: "The agencies expressed fears that the protest could be hijacked by hoodlums.

“I received more than 157 calls, some of which were threatening, urging me to call off the protest.

“Having listened to these people, we decided to suspend the protest, not cancel it.”

Obi however, denied allegations that he was bribed to suspend the protest, insisting that no one could bribe him, saying that he would not want to take any action that might not augur well for the state.

Flanked by Mr Tony Erike and Mr Okpara Nonso, who are co-conveners of the protest, Obi urged electricity consumers in the state to attend a town hall meeting scheduled by FirstPower for March 18, where they would have the opportunity to ask questions about the power situation in the state.

He added: “We will continue to engage; we are not chickening out.”

While disparaging the poor quality of power supply in the state, Obi described t as “useless,” saying that even the few hours electricity supply is are often inconsistent and unreliable.

Recall that the group had earlier planned the protest against FirstPower and EEDC over poor power supply and high estimated billing.

The protest was meant to highlight growing frustration among residents over erratic electricity supply despite the introduction of high Band A tariffs.

This is coming on the heels of the recent transition of electricity distribution operations in the state to FirstPower, which is a subsidiary of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).

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