ASPMDA Election: Presidential candidates reject Electoral Committee

The candidates vying for the president of Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPMDA) have rejected the electoral committee that was set up by the chairman of the caretaker committee of the market, Sir Sunny Igboanuzue.

Speaking at a press conference, the candidates, namely Chief James Umeji, Ngozi Emechebe and Oliver Obidi, said that their reason for the rejection of the committee was based on the fact that it was not properly constituted.

According to them, all the members of the committee were drawn from one political organization in the market.

They said that the procedure for selecting members of the electoral committee in the market was from all the political organizations in the market to ensure fairness for all the contestants.

They also described the Identity card committee, which was set up alongside the electoral committee as a ploy to delay and even rig the election.

According to the candidates, the chairman of the caretaker committee, Sir Sunny has lost every credibility in conducting election because he has not only committed contempt by over staying his legal mandate, he has also shown bias and partiality in every of his conduct in the market.

They said that before any electoral committee is set up in the market,a meeting of the general assembly of the market is held to deliberate on that.

However, they said that since the caretaker committee came on board,the meeting of the general assembly has never been called.

They appealed to the Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene by helping to set up a truly independent electoral committee that would conduct a free,fair and credible election that would be accepted by all in the market.

The secretary general of ASPMDA stakeholders youths, Sunny Ihenemegwa, said that the way to conduct election in the market is block by block in view of the COVID-19 protocol, adding that what the members of the caretaker committee wants to do is not to conduct election but rather to impose one of their own on the traders, an action that would be vehemently rejected by the youths.

According to him, since the purported setting up of the Identity Card Committee, nothing had been heard from them, which points to the fact that the purpose is to use to delay and rig the election.

He also called on the governor of Lagos state to intervene and ensure that the right thing is done.