Traders at the Ariaria International Market, Aba, Abia State, on Thursday, closed their shops and embarked on a one-million-man solidarity march in support of Governor Alex Otti’s bid for re-election in 2027.
The traders used the occasion to endorse Governor Otti as their sole candidate for the 2027 governorship election, citing the programmes, policies and infrastructural interventions of his administration as reasons for their support.
Speaking during the march, the Chairman of Ariaria International Market, Chief Polycarp Muojiuba, said the exercise was organised to appreciate the administration’s efforts while demonstrating the traders’ support for the Governor’s second term ambition.
According to him, “Ariaria has today endorsed His Excellency,” noting that traders in the market and residents across Aba had turned out to show their recognition and appreciation of the Governor’s efforts.
Muojiuba said developments in roads and other infrastructure, alongside interventions in other sectors, had influenced the traders decision to publicly identify with the administration.
He explained that the commercial activities at Ariaria attract traders and customers from different parts of Aba, Abia State and beyond, stressing that the support expressed through the march extended beyond those operating directly within the market.
The market chairman further stated that the traders would support candidates of the Labour Party during the 2027 elections.
Explaining the decision to close the market for the solidarity march, Muojiuba said, “We shut the market down today to show him that we are in support of him.”
He also encouraged eligible citizens to intensify efforts toward voter registration, stressing the importance of participation in the electoral process.
Muojiuba further emphasised the need for voters to protect their votes after casting their ballots, assuring that the traders would remain committed to ensuring that their votes were protected throughout the electoral process.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of Ariaria International Market, Sir Ufere Godwin Inyama, and the Chief Security Officer, Comrade Chizoba Obiukwu, attributed the traders endorsement of Governor Otti to what they described as his numerous achievements in Aba and its environs.
They maintained that there would be no vacancy at the Government House in 2027, declaring that it was “Otti or nothing”.
The two market officials also pledged to mobilise traders, customers and their families to support Governor Otti and candidates of the Labour Party in the forthcoming general elections.
