Traders in the Balogun Business Association, International Shopping Mall, Lagos International Trade Fair, Lagos turned out in their numbers to protest the incessant arrest and harassment of its president, Chief Tony Obih.
Those who participated in the protest include five former presidents of the association namely: Hon. Anslem Dunu, Prince Tony Akanegbu, Brother Leonard Ogbonna and Chief Alex Obi-Odunukwe.
According to the traders, the president had gone to Abuja on the invitation of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu over alleged forgery of their constitution, but on his way back to Lagos, he was picked up inside the Murtala Mohammed Airport, by the police and taken to Zone 2.
The placards that the traders used for the protests had various inscriptions like: “Police stop harassing our president.” “We are tired of police arrest and intimidation of our president.” “We stand by Tony Bell.” “Okey Ezibe should leave BBA alone”.
Addressing the mammoth traders after the demonstration, the former presidents of the association said that going by the prevailing circumstances, the current President Tony Obih has no reason whatsoever to forge any document because he is the one leading the fight for the registration of the new constitution at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
The former presidents said that it must be those who are against the registration of the new constitution with the CAC that must have forged the contentious document in the constitution.
Hon. Dunu argued that if he was not sure that the hand of the current president is clean with regards to the issue at stake, he would not have been part of the protest.
He said that the purpose of the authors of the petition against the current president was just to embarrass him.
He noted that the bone of contention was who would be what in the new constitution.
Chief Dunu said that the cheap rumour making the rounds that the current president forged the contentious document was absolute lies because there was no reason for him to do so.
In his contribution, Prince Tony Akanegbu said that the stakeholders are the owners of the market and not an individual.
According to him, the new constitution is the will of the traders in the market, adding that by the constitution, the incumbent president is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the market and would also be presiding over the other organs of the market.
Prince Akanegbu said that the traders should not allow somebody who no longer has any stake in the market because he is now investing somewhere else to be brainwashing them to be causing crisis in the market.
Also contributing, the first President of Balogun Business Association, Brother Leonard Ogbonna, expressed regret over what is going on in the market.
He said that it was him that organized the writing of the association`s first constitution in Lagos Island.
He disclosed that when they relocated to Lagos International Trade Fair Complex he also initiated the writing of a new constitution since the one they used in Lagos Island had become outdated.
He said that in the constitution of the market, the president, general secretary and treasurer are automatic members of the Board of Trustees and the current president of the market the chairman of the BOT.