Labour Party in Abia State says the Peoples Democratic Party-led Abia State Government is incompetent and not capable of protecting the goose that lays the golden revenue eggs in the Ariaria International Market, Aba.

The Deputy Governorship candidate of the party in the 2023 general election, Ikechukwu Emetu, stated this Tuesday evening at the Ariaria International Market, Aba, while inspecting the damages caused by flood and commiserating with traders who lost goods worth billions of naira following Saturday’s torrential rain that over flooded the A-Line section of the market.

Addressing the traders, Emetu described it as “painful to see you trade under the mess around.”

He further lamented that, “Abia is God’s Own State, but I see nothing godly about this place. We are tired of being overtaken by other states. Go to Ebonyi State and see what international markets in other states look like. Is our God different from that of Ebonyi State?

“These people are criminals. You pay your taxes and levies and don’t see what you pay for. It is a mess that Ariaria is like this. What is the essence of your paying? It is painful that the destruction of goods happened, but it is a collective problem.

“A good government should make sure that those who pay taxes should be happy. It is funny to state that those affected should not pay taxes, but for how many years?”

He added, “Ariaria International Market is too rich to take care of roads in Aba which is less than 6 kilometres round. Ariaria is an International Market, but I don’t see anything international about it. The market is in a mess but people are still collecting money from traders there. It is a shame.”

He warned the traders that after the rains, dry season will come, stating “they may come to patch the A-Line road. After that, the rains will come again and destroy your goods more. Are you not tired?”