Ladipo Market: Chief Onyebinanma Dares Mushin LG & Releases Election Time Table 

KINGSLEY EBERE 

The Chairman of Aguiyi Ironsi International Association, Chief Chukwuma Onyebinanma, has dared the Mushin Local Government in Lagos State by going ahead to release election time table, with which he targets to rig the market election with his appointed  cronies as members of the electoral committee.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that at the weekend, Chief Onyebinanma released the timetable and ordered the committee to disregard any directives from the Mushin Local Government, which is owner of the market.

This is happening few days after the Executive Chairman of Mushin Local Government area, Hon. Emmanuel Bamigboye, had canceled the purported electoral committee and stated that any electoral committee set up must be comprised of the representatives of all the stakeholders for free and fair elections in the market.

The decision was taken at the meeting held at the Council’s Secretariat in Mushin, which was attended by the traders including Chief Onyebinanma, representatives from Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy affairs and the Ministry of the Environment over the leadership crisis in Aguiyi Ironsi Market concerning the election coming up sometime in January/ February 2025.

Hon Bamigboye directed as agreed at the stakeholders meeting that for a transparent and peaceful election to take place devoid of violence, the parties shall have representatives in the electoral committee.

At the meeting, it was agreed that Onyebinanma led executive shall bring four persons while Chief Kelechi Oputa, who is a chairmanship aspirant, will bring three persons and the Mushin Local Government, which is the owner of the market will bring two, making it a nine-man electoral committee.

However, after the meeting, Chief Onyebinanma summoned the disbanded electoral committee and directed them to release the time table and conduct the election before January, 2025, when the election is supposed to hold.

He was said to have boasted that he had enough men on ground that can challenge both Mushin LG and Lagos State and directed the committee to move on with the election.

On the election time table sighted by P.M.EXPRESS, it showed that inauguration of the electoral committee had since taken place on 19th September, 2024, submission of forms was slated for 30th September, then pasting of names of voters, screening of candidates, petition and campaigning will be from 12th to 31th October, 2024, respectively and the election will be 14th November, 2024. Thereafter, issuance of certificate of return on 19th November, 2024.

There has been palatable tension in the market following the release of the election time table as many traders view it as a deliberate attempt by Chief Onyebinanma to cause the closure of the market by attacking and daring Mushin LG, which is the owner of the market.

The Executive Chairman of the Mushin LG, Hon. Bamigboye, the Ministry of the Environment and Local Government and chieftaincy affairs are yet to respond over the latest development.