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The senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has disclosed that former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, owns more than 200 shops in the Trade Fair Complex recently demolished by the Lagos State Government.
The Lagos authorities had defended the demolition, citing violations of the state’s physical planning and development control regulations.
However, speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise programme, Umeh criticised the demolition and claimed that Obi was among the original developers of the complex.
According to the lawmaker, “Over 70 percent of the traders in that complex are our people. You can’t just intimidate or displace them without following due process. Mr Peter Obi is one of the developers in that Trade Fair Complex. He owns a plaza with over 200 shops there, dating back to 1995, and serves as a patron to all the associations operating in the area.”
He added that the former governor could not ignore the distress of affected traders who had reached out to him following the demolition.
“People contacted him because they were being treated unfairly. How can you accuse him of acting provocatively when the Lagos State Government itself acted outside the law?” Umeh queried.
The senator also alleged that the land in question did not belong to the Lagos State Government, insisting that the demolition was carried out “illegally and in bad faith.”
