OBI’S HYPOCRISY ON DEMOLITIONS: SILENT IN ANAMBRA, LOUD IN LAGOS
The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has noted with concern the reckless and misleading remarks credited to Mr. Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, on the ongoing demolition of illegal structures at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex.
For clarity, the demolition exercise is a lawful and necessary intervention to restore order, ensure public safety, and return the facility to its original purpose as conceived by the Lagos State Government. The structures in question are indisputably illegal encroachments that pose environmental, security, and commercial risks. To mischaracterize this as an attack on any group of Nigerians is dishonest, inflammatory, and unbecoming of a man who aspires to national leadership.
It is important to remind Nigerians that Peter Obi has no moral authority to speak on demolitions. As Governor of Anambra State between 2006 and 2014, Obi personally supervised and defended the demolition of structures in Upper Iweka (2009), Ochanja Market (2010), and parts of Awka and Nnewi in the name of “urban renewal.” Entire clusters of shops, kiosks, and roadside businesses were pulled down under his watch, displacing thousands of traders and artisans without adequate compensation. Obi repeatedly justified these exercises by insisting that “law and order must prevail” and that government could not condone illegal occupation of public spaces.
Even more telling was his silence in 2012, when the Anambra State Government carried out large-scale demolitions of illegal structures in Onitsha to reclaim major roads. At the time, bulldozers rolled through the commercial city, removing shops and extensions that had taken over drainages and access roads. Obi, who was governor then, said nothing. He kept mute for obvious reasons – because the enforcement served his administration’s agenda.
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. He is quick to label lawful enforcement actions as persecution, simply to whip up ethnic and political sentiments. This duplicity perfectly illustrates his brand of selective lawlessness: demolitions are acceptable in Anambra when it suits his purpose , but unacceptable in Lagos because he thinks it weakens his political base.
As a supposed political leader, Obi should be educating his supporters about the importance of respecting constituted authority, urban planning, and public safety. Instead, he has chosen the ignoble path of fanning ethnic embers and presenting himself as a defender of impunity.
The Lagos APC reiterates that the rule of law must remain supreme. No society can thrive when illegality is normalized for political expediency. The demolition exercise at the Trade Fair Complex is not targeted at any tribe, faith, or political persuasion; it is a continuation of government’s responsibility to protect public assets and ensure sanity in commercial operations.
We call on Nigerians to see through the desperate antics of Peter Obi and his attempt to paint every lawful government action in Lagos as an assault on his support base. Governance cannot be reduced to populism at the expense of legality and order.
Lagos will continue to uphold the principles of inclusiveness, justice, and development – anchored on the rule of law, not the rule of sentiments.
Mogaji (Hon) Seye Oladejo
Lagos APC Spokesman
02/10/25.
