Lagos Faults Peter Obi Over Trade Fair Demolition Comments

The Lagos State Government has dismissed remarks by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on the demolition of structures at the Trade Fair Complex, accusing him of attempting to mislead the public.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said Obi’s claims that the demolished buildings had valid approvals were “misinformation and disinformation.”

According to the government, the affected structures lacked planning permits and their owners ignored several amnesty opportunities to regularise their documents. “When our officials visited the site, they were locked out and assaulted, forcing police intervention,” Omotoso said.

The statement clarified that while the Trade Fair Complex Management Board can issue leases and oversee commercial activities, it has no legal authority to approve physical developments. It cited the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act (1992), as well as a 2003 Supreme Court ruling, which affirmed states’ powers to regulate land use and planning within their territories.

“The Management Board can allocate spaces, but any construction without state approval is illegal and subject to demolition,” Omotoso stressed.

Reiterating that the exercise was lawful, the government urged Nigerians to uphold the rule of law over political sentiment. “We must decide the kind of society we want one governed by law or one run by emotions, fuelled by political interests,” the statement read.