Lagos – Some traders at the Lagos Auto Spare-Part and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) market on Thursday protested against the illegally elongated tenure of the market president, Mr Daniel Ofokansi.

The traders alleged that it was unconstitutional for Ofokansi to remain in office after the expiration of his four-year single term as stipulated by the market constitution.

Thousands of traders in the market located at the International Trade Fair Complex along Badagry Expressway, defied the rain and staged a peaceful protest round the market to press home their demands for peace in the market.

Thee market worth over N2 billion in physical structures with a population of 12,000 people earning their living from it remains the hub of auto spare-parts market in the West African sub-region.

Mr Victor Amadi, one of the founders of the market, who also led the protest said the tenure of the Ofokansi ended in 2018, yet he had continued to stay in office without election.

“We went to court to stop him from continuing in office as the president. The court battle lasted a year and six months from the high court where we won  and to the appeal court where his appeal was dismissed for lack of merit.

“The court upheld our winning and asked him to vacate office on March 18, 2020.

“He is still conducting himself as president of the market without regards to the court ruling that ousted him.

“This is purely illegal and the majority of the traders that want peace in the market have now resolved to put a stop to the unending leadership of the president to allow for election into various offices,” Amadi elaborated.

Also speaking after the protest, Mr Okwudiri Chikwuma, an opinion leader in the market said part of the conditions given in the court was that as a past president, he should not conduct the election for his successor as he had lost that right.

Chikwuma said that the traders wanted an interim committee to conduct the election that would usher in new leaders as stipulated by the association’s constitution in the present situation.

“Any election conducted by Ofokansi will be rejected as that is what he seems to be planning to do. And such thing will cause chaos in the market; it is such a thing we are trying to avoid before it becomes late.

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“Before now, the market stakeholders comprising leaders of the clusters that make up the market have met him to conduct election before the court procedure but he refused.

“The protest will continue until justice is done; we only have a four-year single tenure in the book, therefore, this elongation of term by Ofokansi has never been seen in the history of the market since inception in 2000,” he said.

Mr James Umeji, another leader in the market said the traders would reject any imposition of a president by the Ofokansi, adding that only an election conducted by an independent body would pacify them.

Mr Emeka Nnaji, a spokesman for Ofokansi, the estranged president; urged everybody to maintain peace in the market as plan was underway to conduct an election n. (NAN)