Peter Anosike
Traders in Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPMDA), Lagos International Trade Fair Complex have protested against the refusal of its president, Daniel Oforkansi to leave office in spite of High and Appeal Courts’ judgments to that effect.
The traders who were under the aegis of coalition of political parties in ASPMDA, carried placards with various inscriptions: “Oforkansi obey court order”, “Oforkansi allow peace to reign in ASPMDA”, “Oforkansi stop causing chaos in ASPMDA.”
Speaking while addressing the press at the end of the peaceful protest, the spokesman for the coalition, Victor Amadi, said that the constitutional maximum tenure of every ASPMDA president is four years.
Amadi who is one of the founding fathers of the market said that Chief Oforkansi was first elected in 2014 for a two-year tenure. He said that after the first tenure, he was again elected for another term of two years which expired in 2018. However, he said when his second term ended in 2018, he refused to leave office.
According to him, because of that, some of the traders took him to court and that year, Justice Ogunjobi of Lagos High Court gave judgment in favour of the traders, stating that Oforkansi`s tenure had constitutionally expired and should vacate the office.