2019 polls: INEC signs MoU with transportation unions

…To deploy, secure over 100,000 vehicles for election in 119,973 polling units In preparation for prompt, effective and efficient delivery of personnel and election materials to 119,973 polling units, in 8,809 Electoral wards across the 774 local governments across the country for the 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday in Abuja, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three major transport associations. The Commission identified logistics as one of the critical challenges to the conduct of elections in Nigeria. Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said in Nigeria, only INEC undertakes such a huge nationwide deployment and retrieval of personnel and materials twice within a short period of two weeks. He assured Nigerians that INEC is determined that all polling units nationwide will open at 8.00hrs from February 16 to March 2, 2019, promising to give Nigerians a pleasant voting experience in the 2019 General Election. “We have been working hard to ensure that personnel and materials will be on location awaiting the arrival of voters rather than the other way round”, he said. To achieve this commitment, he said INEC requires over 100,000 vehicles. He said: “The logistical requirements are beyond the internal resources of INEC to provide. It is for this reason that the Commission has been in partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) for which a MoU was first signed with the Union in January 2015. However, with the increase in the number of voters as well as political parties since the last General Election, we need to increase the pool of our service providers to meet the consequential increase in the number of vehicles. Accordingly, we decided to expand our collaboration beyond the NURTW. “The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) we are about to sign today (Wednesday) is a general framework. The actual breakdown of the number of vehicles per state will be worked out at state level between officials of the unions and our Resident Electoral Commissioners. 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 level. I am also glad that the Unions are represented by their national leaders and as many of their zonal and State officials”. Other transport unions involved in the partnership include the the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN). Yakubu charged leadership of the unions to supervise their members and branches for the full implementation of the MoU, saying “doing so requires working very closely with our Resident Electoral Commissioners to ensure that the objectives of the MoU are fully realised. Members of your Unions know the terrain in various parts of the country for ease of movement. “We will also require you to swear to an oath of neutrality as your participation in the delivery of electoral logistics requires absolute neutrality and impartiality. The security agencies shall escort all vehicles to locations. In addition, we shall track the movement of all vehicles electronically and real time as we did in some recent elections. “Learning from the experience of the past, I would like to appeal to Unions to ensure that there is no failure on their part, especially when it is too late for the Commission to make alternative arrangement or to hike fares and put us in a difficult situation on the eve of elections”. The chairman appreciated sponsor and development partner, Friedrick Ebert Stifftung (FES) and its Resident Representative in Nigeria, Mr. Ulrich Thum, for supporting the MoU and the ceremony in addition to consistent support for many years. Tunde Opalana, Abuja