People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Vice Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and Lagos Governorship Candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, were for hours on Monday locked out and prevented from gaining access into the Trade Fair complex.
It, however, took the intervention of the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Edgal Imohinmi, before their campaign team, who had to wait under the scorching sun, was allowed into the complex as the management of the sprawling business complex and the DPO in charge of the area were alleged to prevented them from entering into the facility.
Market leaders, were said to have spent much of that time making frantic phone calls to get the strange order revoked, as they later came to announce that the police, Imohimi, had given a counter-order that they should be allowed to campaign in the premises.
Immediately, the convoy drove into the complex, Obi and Agbaje dropped off their vehicles and walked through the place, shaking hands with citizens, amid the hailing from crowd of supporters.
Traders and residents, screamed their desire for a change in government, denouncing bad road, incessant container falling, even as they declared that there were lazy youth in the country.
They all chanted: “No more bad road,” “No more container falling,” “No lazy youths,” among others.
The uncompleted and traffic-ridden Apapa-Badagry highway has posed their challenges for some years now.
Speaking on the access road, Agbaje said: “We shall complete this road and bring your nightmare to an end. Your container will not be falling on this road again.”
He promised that the PDP, if voted into power in Lagos State, would improve conditions in the market to ensure that its over 2 million daily patronage would shoot up to 5 million.
At the three venues in ASPAMDA where tents had been arranged for the visitors, traders and supporters burnt heaps of brooms, the symbol of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Obi, who addressed the crowd in Igbo language, encouraged the traders to vote for a party whose candidates were business gurus and had the capability to turn the economy around.
He said Nigeria’s fortunes would receive a boost with the ticket of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi at the federal level and Agbaje and Haleemat in the state.
“On 16th February, vote umbrella on the ballot for President, Senate and House of Representatives. And do the same on March 2,” Obi said.
Earlier at Alaba International Electronics Market, the PDP flag-bearers had received a rousing reception.
