The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to distribute election materials through the Lagos State Parks Management Committee, which is managed by Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo), an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain.
This was revealed by INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State, Olusegun Agbaje, while replying to concerns about the MC Oluomo-led committee’s engagement during the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting at the INEC office on Wednesday in Lagos.
Recall that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and civil society organisations had expressed concern about the proposed INEC partnership with Oluomo-led Parks Management Committee, and have urged INEC to abandon the idea since Oluomo is partisan and a staunch admirer of Bola Tinubu, the APC’s presidential candidate in recent times.
But Agbaje said, “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.
“NARTO is not even able to meet up with 40 per cent of our vehicle requirements for this election. The commission in Lagos State does not have any option than to use the 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 against the law if INEC has to continue to work with NURTW or any other group that is proscribed in the state,” the INEC boss added.
The INEC official further indicated that cooperating with the state Parks Management Committee would not jeopardize the legitimacy of the elections because the movement of electoral people and materials would be controlled by security authorities, party agents, and observers.
He continued, “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,” he stated.
The Lagos State Parks Management Committee, led by MC Oluomo, had written to the electoral authority, requesting permission for its members to deliver sensitive electoral documents and transport poll officials on Election Day.
Quest Times had earlier reported that the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, had cautioned INEC against using the MC Oluomo-led Lagos State Parks Management Committee to distribute sensitive electoral materials and transport election officials, in order to avoid manipulation and malpractices during the election period.