The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi over his remarks on the ongoing demolition of illegal structures at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex.
In a statement on Thursday, the party’s spokesman, Seye Oladejo, described Obi’s comments as “reckless, misleading and unbecoming of a man who aspires to national leadership.”
Oladejo explained that the demolition exercise was a lawful intervention aimed at restoring order, safeguarding the environment, and returning the facility to its original purpose as conceived by the Lagos State Government. He maintained that the affected structures were illegal encroachments posing environmental, security, and commercial risks.
“To mischaracterize this as an attack on any group of Nigerians is dishonest, inflammatory, and unbecoming,” Oladejo stated.
The APC also accused Obi of hypocrisy, recalling that as Governor of Anambra State between 2006 and 2014, he personally supervised and defended demolitions in Upper Iweka (2009), Ochanja Market (2010), and parts of Awka and Nnewi. According to the party, Obi repeatedly justified those exercises on the grounds of enforcing law and order, even when thousands of traders and artisans were displaced.
Oladejo further alleged that Obi kept silent during large-scale demolitions in Onitsha in 2012 to reclaim roads from illegal structures, despite the hardship it caused residents.
“Today, however, the same Peter Obi suddenly finds his voice — not out of genuine concern for the rule of law, but because the exercise is taking place in Lagos. This duplicity perfectly illustrates his brand of selective lawlessness,” the APC spokesman said.
He accused the former presidential candidate of fanning ethnic sentiments rather than educating his supporters on the importance of urban planning, public safety, and respect for constituted authority.
The Lagos APC insisted that the Trade Fair Complex demolition was not targeted at any ethnic group, political affiliation, or religion, but was part of the state’s broader efforts to protect public assets and promote orderly commercial activity.
“No society can thrive when illegality is normalized for political expediency. Governance cannot be reduced to populism at the expense of legality and order,” Oladejo added.
The statement reaffirmed Lagos APC’s commitment to inclusiveness, justice, and development, stressing that governance in the state would always be anchored on the rule of law rather than sentiments.
