The Anambra State Traffic Management Agency (ARTMA/ATMA) has suspended some of its officers for two months without pay after a video of them singing a campaign song linked to former Anambra governor Peter Obi and his reported running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, went viral.
The officers were on duty controlling traffic at Nwagu Agulu Junction (also reported as Nwagu Junction in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area) when the incident occurred. Footage circulating on social media showed them singing an NDC (Nigeria Democratic Congress) campaign song associated with the Obi-Kwankwaso presidential ticket while interacting with a motorist. Some accounts suggest the officers may have been prompted by noticing an NDC logo on the vehicle or by a car playing the song over loudspeakers.
Agency management summoned the officers to its headquarters in Awka. The two-month unpaid suspension was announced on Tuesday following an internal disciplinary process.
Reports indicate the officers received no formal written queries or statements before the penalty was imposed. The agency’s commander declined to comment when contacted by some media outlets.
The development has left the affected officers distressed. Sources said some have been weeping and approaching influential figures in the state in hopes of securing intervention or leniency. Relatives of the officers have publicly appealed for assistance in finding alternative employment, warning that the loss of pay during the suspension period could impose severe hardship on the officers and their families, especially with the festive season approaching.
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Some family sources have also expressed fear that the officers could ultimately lose their jobs.
The case has drawn attention to the expected political neutrality of government employees while on official duty. Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, remains a significant political figure in the South-East as he pursues the presidency under the NDC platform with Kwankwaso.