Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, on Tuesday, joined a high-powered delegation of lawmakers to visit the site of the demolished ASPAMDA Market at the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos, where plazas were pulled down despite traders having obtained the requisite approvals.
Obi was accompanied by Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh, Col. Austin Akobundu, and Tony Nwoye, as well as House of Representatives members Segun Sowonmi and George Adegeye. Also present were Labour Party’s Lagos State governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Tanko Yunusa.
In a statement after the visit, Obi commended the affected traders for showing restraint and maintaining peace in the face of what he described as “painful loss and injustice.” He further appreciated the lawmakers who pledged to investigate the demolition and ensure accountability.
The former Anambra State governor urged governments at all levels to act with compassion and fairness, especially given that many of the traders had taken loans to finance their businesses. He noted that destroying legitimate investments without due process was “not only unjust but also economically destructive.”
Obi stressed that a nation aspiring to progress must protect enterprise, encourage productivity, and defend the dignity of its citizens, warning that “incidents like this have no place in a society that seeks fairness, stability, and shared prosperity.”
Speaking during the visit, Senator Victor Umeh described the demolition as “an unconscionable assault on hardworking Nigerians who invested their life savings in legitimate businesses.” He insisted that the matter would not be swept under the carpet, vowing that the National Assembly would take it up to ensure justice for the affected traders.
