Ladipo Market Traders Set To Elect New Executives

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Traders at Aguiyi Ironsi International Trade Centre section of the Ladipo Market have concluded arrangements to conduct elections to usher in new executives at the market located in Mushin, Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that this was disclosed by the incumbent chairman of the market, Chief Cyril Onyemaechi during an interaction with the press at the market.

Chief Onyemaechi who had pioneered the affairs of the market for two tenures said that he had already appointed electoral officers since 29 May, 2018. Mr. Sunday Ugwu was appointed as the Chairman, Vitalis Ukewuihe, as secretary to work with other electoral officers.

Onyemaechi reiterated his desire and commitment to conduct a free and fair election and assured the traders at Ladipo Market not to panic as the process would ensure that a credible election was conducted to sustain the peace in the market.

Chief Onyemaechi had received an award as an Ambassador of Peace from Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria, CRAN, for the role he played in restoring peace in the market. He thanked the Lagos State Government and Mushin Local Government for their supports throughout his tenure that was coming to an end. He recalled that when he took over the leadership of the market, the market was in deep crisis; traders fought among themselves, suffered protracted violent crisis and litigations that lasted for over seven years.

He said that one of the measures he took when he was elected was to embark on reconciliation and made peace among the traders on one hand and the government on the other hand, because of the negative impression the government had about the market and the traders. He explained that since he took over, there had been relative peace in the market and that the traders did their businesses peacefully without any form of molestation from any quarters. He equally recalled how the market was thrown into protracted leadership crisis before he offered himself to contest for the purpose of restoring peace.
He noted that the election conducted and supervised by the officials of Mushin Local Government was free and fair and he emerged as chairman with other executives. He was to later contest for a second tenure and won because of the standard already set by his administration for free and fair election. He assured that the same standard had been put in place to elect new executives.

Chief Onyemaechi also said that apart from restoring peace in the market, he had equally built a cordial relationship between the traders and the government and that was why the incidents of market closure was not witnessed throughout his administration as was the case in the past. He said that he believed that he had set a leadership standard in the market and that was why the traders re-elected him and hoped the new executives will follow the path to continue to maintain peace in the market.

Some of the traders at Ladipo Market who spoke to our correspondent collaborated what Onyemaechi had said and stated that they will ensure that they elected leaders that will follow the same path and ensure that there was peace in the market.
P.M.EXPRESS confirmed that the electoral committee had been set up and they were working hard to ensure a free and fair election at a later date.