Posted by In order to ensure that the logistics of the general election in 2023 run smoothly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State stated that it is collaborating with park managers in the state.
It clarified that it is not associated with Musiliu Akinsanya, more commonly referred to as MC Oluomo, the former Lagosian chairman of the now-defunct National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
The commission was responding to a letter that the former NURTW boss allegedly wrote to it.
According to a Nigerian Tribune report, MC Oluomo reportedly requested from Lagos INEC in the letter the responsibility of distributing election materials throughout the state on election day.
In response to the letter, Olusegun Agbaje, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, stated that MC Oluomo was not the focus of the commission’s attention; rather, it was more concerned with issues related to motor park administration in the state in order to carry out its duties effectively.
At a meeting with representatives of security agencies, including the military, held on Tuesday at the Commission’s secretariat in Lagos under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, Agbaje stated that INEC would not collaborate with the disbanded NURTW and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), claiming that doing so would be a violation of the law.
He stated, “The commission is not concerned with Oluomo regarding the issue of MC Oluomo.” We are concerned about the management of Lagos’s motor parks.
The NURTW and RTEAN have been prohibited from operating in Lagos State for the past two years. The state government outlawed them because of their issues.
The National Association of Road Transport Owners and Lagos State Park and Garages are the only remaining options.
The REC stated that the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) was already collaborating with INEC in Lagos and that NARTO “is not able to meet up with the 40% needs of the commission for this election.”
He stated that this was the reason the state’s Parks and Garages Management system was utilized by the commission.
Agbaje stated, “We are not dealing with MC Oluomo; we are dealing with park managers.” They are individuals who own the automobiles we will use for the elections.
We cannot patronize the NURTW because the law already prohibits them from operating in the state.
If we must collaborate with banned organizations, we will be breaking the law. Therefore, it can’t work.
Agbaje reminded the electorate that there would be a security presence and party agents who would escort election materials to various local government areas, reiterating INEC’s commitment to fairness and equality during the election.
Therefore, I cannot see how this could jeopardize the election. The party agents will be present to observe the materials being distributed.
“They will be on the entourage to ensure that there is no delay until they arrive at the local government, where they will offload the materials.
There is no way that this will affect the election in any way. He stated, “I just want politicians to see the peculiarity in Lagos state.”
In addition, he stated that the commission would require “more than 5000 vehicles for this election, including buses and trucks to transport our staff and election materials.” There is no other course of action.
Because it is against the law, we are unable to transport vehicles to another state.
We can’t work in violation of the law. In point of fact, the majority of NURTW members are already collaborating with Lagos State Parks and Garages Management.