Ladipo Market: Chief Onyebinanma Faces Jail As Court Bars Him From Conducting Market Election 

KINGSLEY EBERE 

This is not the best of times for the Chairman of Aguiyi Ironsi International Market association, Chief Chukwuma Onyebinanma, over his purported plans to rig the market election by appointing cronies as electoral committee members to conduct election on 16th November, 2024, following the extension of order not to hold election by the Lagos State High Court. 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the Lagos State High Court presided by Justice A.m. Lawal, who had earlier given order on 8th October, 2024, has further ordered Chief Onyebinanma not to conduct election in the market forthwith with the extension of the order for another 21 days of the interlocutory injunction, which was served on Chukwuma Onyebinanma on the ex-part motion with the suit number ID/8580GCM/2024.

Apart from barring Chief Chukwuma Onyebinanma from conducting election, he is as well facing jail term for Contempt of Court for appointing electoral committee members and campaigning for the election in the market against the Court Order. Already Forms 48 and 49 have been filed before the Court for his committal to prison for Contempt.

The suit was filed by Kelechi Oputa, Emeka Ifeora and Chimezie Eke against Chukwuma Onyebinanma, and the Court gave the explicit order restraining the conduct of election in the market which has now been extended to avoid break down of law and order in the market.

The order stated :

“A Pre-Emptive Order of Injunction of the Honourable Court restraining the Defendant/Respondent whether himself, his servants, agent, privies, representatives, cohorts otherwise from conducting Aguiyi Ironsi Market Trades Associates Election or taking any steps whatsoever that may be prejudicial to the Applicants interest regarding the Association forthcoming Election pending the Applicants compliance with the High Court of Lagos State Practice Direction No. 2 of 2019, on Pre-action Protocol or such time as may be ordered by the Court ”

This restraining order given by Justice Lawal has empowered the Mushin Local Government to organize a peaceful election devoid of violence and invalidate the electoral committee appointed by onyebinanma.

Thus, the aggrieved parties in the market went to Court and obtained the restraining order stopping the election but Onyebinanma ignored the Court order, allegedly appointed electoral committee members and bought forms for candidates because the opponents stayed away because of the Court order.

The decision of the Court has thrown the market into wild jubilation because the traders were aware that Chief  Onyebinanma merely set his cronies to conduct the election to declare him the winner.

According to the traders, Onyebinanma and his supporters were shocked over the latest development and was said to have insisted that the election must go on and have arranged some thugs to the market for the purported election in the market.

Meanwhile, security agencies including the Police and DSS have summoned the parties and warned them to maintain peace in the market and follow the rule of law after they were informed about the Court order and it was not certain if Onyebinanma will comply with the latest order by the Court.