Electricity consumers and right Activists under the aegis of the Electricity Consumers Rights Initiative and the Electricity Consumers Rights Network on Friday suspended the planned protest against the epileptic power supply and over estimated billing system by management of First Power/EEDC in Anambra state.
The right groups in collaboration with electricity consumers at a press conference held in Awka the state capital disclosed that the peaceful protest was suspended and not cancelled following intense pressure from the Department of State Services (DSS), the police and the State Government.
Coordinator of the groups, Comrade Osita Obi, a human right activist, said the DSS, police and state government represented by the commissioner for Power and Water Resources have cited security concern going on with the peaceful protest.
He said the protest would pose security threat as the state government prepares for the inauguration of the state Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo for his second term in office on Tuesday March 17, 2026.
Obi pointed out that he received over 157 calls from government quarters and people who mounted pressure on him asking that the protest be put on hold.
“We are here on the flier we circulated on the issue of electricity consumers protest. You all are aware of what we are passing through in Anambra state and the entire nation. The electricity issue here is so epileptic and the consumers decided to address that by fixing protest and rally that are supposed to take place on Saturday 14th March 2026; that’s tomorrow.”
Accorisng to him, “We made a lot of consultation; we visited the state police command, we had visited the DSS Anambra state command, we had also interfaced with the state government represented by the honourable commissioner for Power and Water Resources. The feedback they are giving us is that the protest is not in order because of security concerns.”
“The security agencies raised the issue of security concern, the same thing with the state government. The state government told us that it gatecrashed with the second term inauguration of Governor Soludo. And the state police command also raised the issue of security concerns and same thing with the DSS. And they told that if we do this thing (protest) we are on our own because of this security concern,” Obi explained.
“And having listened to them, we decided to shave this (protest), that is we are not cancelling but suspending the protest because of the security concern and according to the security agencies in the state and the government itself.”
Obi who was flanked by Mr Tony Erike and Mr. Oparah Nonso who are co- conveners representing the consumers, maintained that “we are suspending not cancelling the protest. It will no longer hold on Saturday ( tomorrow) because of the security concern raised by the security agencies and state government.”
He said, “I want to personally respect and recognize my governor Professor Charles Soludo whom I have been working with and I don’t want to be a stumbling block or do anything that may not ugur well. We therefore suspend The protest and it’s hereby suspended till further notice.
He urged the consumers to attend in large numbers a town hall meeting being organized next week by First Power Limited in Awka town.
Obi stated that the bodies are not chickening out even as he denied allegation of allegedly collection money from the state government, stressing that “I am not purchased by anybody”.
The groups noted that the power outage is a national problem and not peculiar to Anambra state, pointing out that the problem with Anambra state which raises fundamental issue is that power is brought for four hours and within this four hours light is taken for over forty times.”
The organizers of the proposed protest tagged “Enough is Enough” scheduled to hold today Saturday in Awka have several demands amongst which are against persistent electricity failure, overestimated billing, and other complaints.
Other issues listed as demands by the groups include “improvement of electricity supply across Anambra State, which has remained grossly inadequate despite the financial burden placed on consumers, immediate installation of prepaid meters for electricity consumers and the complete stoppage of estimated billing, which is currently being carried out arbitrarily and without proper computerized metering systems.
Also listed are Immediate suspension of the electricity band tariff regime, which has imposed additional financial hardship on consumers without corresponding improvement in electricity supply,” and “an end to extortion, over-billing, and exploitation being perpetrated by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) and First Power against electricity consumers in the state.”
Comrade Obi had also in a letter on behalf of the Electricity Consumers Rights Initiative and Electricity Consumers Rights Network and addressed to the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, notified him on the planned rally against First Power, formerly the EEDC.
He explained that, “The purpose of this rally is to draw urgent attention to the persistent challenges faced by electricity consumers in the state and to compel First Power and the relevant electricity distribution authorities to address the following issues”.
Recall that management of the First Power Plc, Coordinator of Recover Nigeria Project, Comrade Osita Obi, the Electricity Consumers Rights Initiative, the Electricity Consumers Rights Network, other members of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Ikioye Orutugu had met for several hours last week at the command headquarters to resolve the issues surrounding the planned rally.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune