The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it
will work with the Lagos state parks management committee for the distribution
of election materials and personnel in the state.
Olusegun Agbaje, INEC resident electoral commissioner in
Lagos, spoke on Tuesday during the inter-agency consultative committee on
election security (ICCES) meeting at the commission’s office in Lagos.
Agbaje said working with the committee led by Musiliu
Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, would not compromise the elections.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, had set up the
parks committee after banning the operations of the National Union of Road
Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of
Nigeria (RTEAN).
But Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), had reportedly warned INEC against the use of the parks
committee.
Abubakar raised the alarm that MC Oluomo is a member of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council and has held
solidarity rallies for the party.
Addressing the matter, Agbaje said the commission was only
concerned about meeting up with the high volume of logistics needs for the
elections.
He said the movement of electoral personnel and materials
would be monitored by security agencies, party agents, and observers.
“There is a ban on the NURTW and RTEAN, we are only left
with the Park Management system and NARTO (National Association of Road
Transport Owners) and we are already working with NARTO,” NAN quoted Agbaje as
saying.
“NARTO is not even able to meet up with 40 percent of our
vehicle requirements for this election. The commission in Lagos State does not
have any option than to use park management system.
“We are not dealing with Oluomo, we are dealing with the
park managers. Individual people that have vehicles are those we are going to
use.
“So, it will be
working against the law if INEC has to continue to work with NURTW or any other
group that is proscribed in the state.
“At the Central Bank of Nigeria where they are going to move
our materials, there will be security agencies and party agents including the
military to monitor and escort these vehicles from CBN to Local Government
Areas (LGAs).
“So, I don’t see how this can compromise the election in any
way. Our politicians should see the peculiarity in Lagos State; we cannot work
with banned NURTW or RTEAN.
“We need over 5,000 vehicles for this election, including
trucks, buses and so on to carry our people and materials for the elections.
There is no other way we can go.
“We cannot go to
other states and bring vehicles here, it is not allowed by law. The only way we
can operate is through the park management system.
“These are the only people that can give us any type of
vehicles. In fact, most of the NURTW drivers are working with the park
management system.”
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