…100,000 vehicles,4200 boats Needed to Move 1 Million Men, Materials

…Signs MoU with Two Transport Unions

Sixty-six days to the general election, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu has disclosed that 100,000 vehicles and 4,200 boats would be used in the nationwide deployment of over 1 million personnel and massive quantities of materials.

The logistics exercise would be twice within a period of two weeks conveying men and materials from INEC State offices to the 774 Local Government Areas, 8,809 electoral Wards and 176,846 polling units across the length and breadth of the country.

Prof. Yakubu disclosed this on Tuesday at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with two transport unions, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) .

The MoU, according to him was based on the realisation of the critical role of transportation in the conduct of elections in Nigeria adding that the Commission is determined that all polling units nationwide will open at 8.30am on Saturday, 25th February 2023 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and on Saturday, 11th March 2023 for the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

“In order to ensure that personnel and materials will be at the polling units on Election Day awaiting the arrival of voters rather than the other way round, INEC requires large numbers of vehicles, including motorcycles, tricycles, boats and canoes in the riverine areas which cannot be met from its internal resources,”he said.

The disclosed to the three logistics Unions a new requirement in the new electoral legal framework which mandates that everyone involved in election duties must subscribe to the INEC Oath/Affirmation of Neutrality.

“We will therefore require your members to swear and strictly adhere to this oath and the INEC Code of Conduct for Electoral Officials as your participation in the delivery of electoral logistics requires absolute neutrality and non-partisanship.

“The security agencies shall not only be available to escort all vehicles and boats to locations, they will also ensure the safety and protection of all election personnel and materials”, he stressed.

Prof. Yakubu disclosed that as usual, the Commission shall track the movement of all vehicles and boats electronically and in real time to ensure that election personnel and materials are not hijacked or diverted.

He said the contractual agreement between the Commission and the actual service provides will be worked out at the State and LGA level between officials of the Unions and the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and Electoral Officers.

His words;” the agreement which is legally binding will be based on the actual breakdown of the number of vehicles, tricycles, motorcycles, boats and canoes per State. It is therefore significant that our Resident Electoral Commissioners are present here today to witness the formal signing of the framework that will enable detailed work at State and LGA levels”.

He enjoined the leadership of the unions to effectively supervise their members in the various chapters and branches for the full implementation of the MoU.

He appreciated the commitment of the Unions to the nation’s electoral processes and the consolidation of our democracy, adding; “we appreciate your collective and individual sacrifice to ensure that election personnel and materials arrive at designated locations early, especially during the recent Ekiti and Osun State Governorship elections. Together, we did it in Ekiti and Osun. It is now time to do it for the whole of Nigeria. We can do it and must do it for Nigeria.

“In the course of serving the nation, many of you have lost your vehicles to acts of arson and vandalism arising from violence and thuggery during elections. We appreciate that these vehicles are, in most cases, the sole means of livelihood for your members.

“While we appeal to political actors to call their supporters to order, I wish to assure you that we will continue to work with the security agencies to ensure the safety of your members and the protection of their vehicles and boats”, he stressed.