I will continue where my predecessor stopped, says Prince Ofoduro, new Ladipo mkt President …As Nwankwo scored himself 90%

The newly elected President General of Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market, Prince Africanus Ofoduro, has stated that he would continue from where his predecessor stopped to make sure that the market remains a very peaceful place for all traders.

On the other hand, the outgoing President of the market, Chief Jude Chikelu Nwankwo has scored his administration above 90%, saying they did excellently well.

While speaking to the media after his emergence as the President of Ladipo Central Executive Committee (LASEC) on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Ofoduro further noted that his executive would work to advance the market interest and make sure that the traders keep to Lagos State laws and those of the Mushin Local Government Area.

He added that he would run an open door policy and embrace his opponents in the election. “I will run an open door policy and would want the traders to feel free to contribute to the smooth running of the market and would embrace my opponents and work with all groups to move the market forward,” he said.

Africanus scored majority votes of 119 to beat his only rival, Chinwike Emmanuel.

Jude Chikelu Nwankwo President, Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market, who has earlier tipped Prince Ofoduro as his favourite candidate disclosed that he was excited. “Today is my most exciting day, the reason why I said so is that I can boast I am the only president in Ladipo Market that has done second tenure. That is the reason why I said today is my most exciting day.

“Today is our general election, and as the outgoing president, I am praying for my own candidate to succeed me, to win the election today to start from where I stopped, the job well done so far which I have done in Ladipo market,” he added.

He revealed some of his achievements as the president of Ladipo Market. “The good work I have been doing in Ladipo Market, like sanitizing Ladipo Market. Before now, in Ladipo market, you see touts, in fact everyday people were running helter-skelter, but since I became the president of the market, it is not by my power, it is by God's grace to stop all the nuisance that they used to commit in Ladipo Market, to stop all the cultism in Ladipo market. So after my first tenure, that was one of the reasons they decided to vote me in for second tenure.”

Speaking on why he chose to support the former secretary, he said “As a human being, the person I want to succeed me is the general secretary of Ladipo market, we have been together, and he has been learning from me, I can vouch for him that if I am not available he would do those work, or I would ask him to go and do it, and he would do them perfectly well. So within me I saw him as someone who can handle the office.”

On measures put in place to ensure that the election was free and fair, Nwankwo said, “The security agencies are all over the place, including the market taskforce, the media and the local government agents. Everybody is here to make sure the election is peaceful, and you can see the calmness here, our market was shut down because of the election in order to give us a peaceful atmosphere. Everywhere is calm.”

He spoke on the modality for the election, saying “Ladipo Market is a very big market; it is the largest automobile market, not just in Nigeria, but in the whole of West Africa. So we fashioned out a way that can be okay for us each time we have election. We have 46 units, and these units it depends on the strength of that unit. The biggest strength of the unit vote is 7 votes, like Ladipo main market, they have seven votes, Falomo has seven votes, Ogidi Plaza has seven votes, 186 has 5 votes, some warehouses have three votes, so that is how we fashioned it. That is the modality because if you should say, let all the market come and vote, there would be a lot of crisis. So it is by delegates from each unit.

Uchenna Sam Okpara, Ladipo Market Election Committee Chairman, a one-time general secretary of the market, and currently chairman of one of the sections, disclosed that they were 26 candidates in number and that the election would be seamless.

Speaking on the modality for the election, the Chairman said, “The election is conducted according to what is written in our bylaw, some candidates have been disqualified, some withdrew because they didn't have what it takes to,  so if somebody decides to do otherwise, then, we follow the person to a logical conclusion. Some sections have seven delegate votes, some have five, some have three.”