Stakeholders, Youths and Women Forum, Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers’ Association (ASPMDA), Trade Fair Complex, Lagos, recently protested against the failure of the Sunny Igboanozie and Emeka Chukwuloka-led caretaker committee set up by the Lagos State government to conduct an election to fill the leadership positions of the association.
While addressing the media, chairman of the group, Comrade Obidi O. Obidi, disclosed that, after the last press conference held by the group, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu responded by summoning a meeting of stakeholders, which included the chairman, Igboanozie, and secretary, Chukwuloka, presidential candidates of the three parties to the election, and directed Igboanozie to brief him within two weeks on whether he was interested in contesting for the presidency of the association or not.
“This was after Governor Sanwo-Olu expressed dissatisfaction at the chairman’s inability to obey the instruction of state government to conduct election of officers to steer the ship of the association immediately,” he added.
In a statement, Obidi noted that, since the meeting, the chairman of the committee has not shown evidence of complying with the directives neither has he called a general meeting of ASPMDA members or stakeholders on the way forward.
He called on Igboanozie to genuinely adopt a system of calling stakeholders’ meeting in the interest of fairness, equity and justice, instead of his body language and utterances that showed he was not ready to abide by or implement the wishes of the Lagos State Government to give ASPMDA members free, fair and credible election.
He urged Governor Sanwo-Olu to dissolve the Igboanozie-led committee, which was set up on July 20, 2020, in the interest of justice and fairplay, and in order to prevent looming crisis that their continued stay in office will bring to ASPMDA.
He further pleaded that: “The Lagos State government should set up a caretaker committee with a mandate to conduct elections within 45 days of its inauguration in ASPMDA with a directive to conduct the elections block by block, in line with the social distancing protocols of government on COVID-19 pandemic.