The crisis rocking the Odun Ade Building and Plumbing Materials Market, Lagos State, has deepened as a factional group elects its own executive.
The group, under the auspices of Elders Forum, conducted an election where a parallel executive was formed.
The election was said to have been conducted in defiance of court injunctions restraining the composition of market executive until the cases in court were disposed of.
The grouse of the Elders Forum, it was learnt, was that the current leadership did not want to relinquish power to pave the way for an election.
It also accused the leadership of using the court to perpetuate itself in power.
However, the embattled executive of OBMDA has flayed the Elders Forum for fragrant abuse of due process.
Spokesman for OBMDA, Mr. Julius Kayode, described the election as a sham and a clear violation of subsisting valid court injunctions restraining the conduct of election until further notice.
He said, "We wish to emphasise that the Board of Trustees of OBMDA was not aware of the purported election and therefore never supported it.
"The said election was a fragrant violation of the association's constitution which prescribes the mode and method of election into the executive committee.
"The so-called Odun-Ade Market Elders Forum is an imaginary creation and not one of the organs recognised by the OBMDA and is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission."
He added that the promoters of Elders Forum were dissident members.
In his reaction, Task Force Chairman, Elders Forum, Mr. Steven Umeobika, told PUNCH Metro on the telephone that the elders and the youth brought themselves together because of the crisis that had rocked the market for a long time.
He said the election was held at the instance of the traders, who felt they were uncomfortable without leadership.
He said after the traders came together, they called for election and it was very successful.
On whether the Elders Forum violated court orders, Umeobika said, "There was an injunction on Odun-Ade Building Materials Dealers Association and not on Elders Forum."
