FCT Polls: Comply with logistics plans, Amupitan warns transport unions
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan has warned transports union engaged ahead of Saturday’s elections in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT not to sabotage logistics arrangements put in place to ensure a smooth transportation of personnel and election materials.
He said any attempt to renege of the agreed transportation modalities can mar the credibility of the process.
The warning coming five days to the polls, Amupitan on Monday at a meeting with leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) said that transport logistics is the backbone of electoral operations.
He charged the leadership of the transport unions that the success of the election would depend largely on the timely and efficient movement of materials and personnel across the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“An election can only be as good as its logistics,” he said, stressing that the Commission expects sound and serviceable vehicles in line with agreed specifications under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the unions.
The Commission disclosed that it will engage about 1,132 vehicles to support the movement of election materials for the election, which will involve 2,822 polling units spread across 10 wards in five Area Councils and 12 wards in the Abuja Municipal Area Council. About 570 candidates are contesting the chairmanship and vice-chairmanship positions, in addition to councillorship seats.
Expressing concern over past experiences in the deployment of vehicles during elections, the Chairman citing instances where unserviceable vehicles were presented and agreed arrangements were not fully honoured.
He said INEC would not accept excuses, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that could jeopardize the timely delivery of sensitive and non-sensitive materials to Registration Area Centres (RACs) and polling units.
“Our target is for voting to commence at 8.30am. For that to happen, materials must arrive at polling units by 7.00 or 7.30am, which means vehicles must depart RACs as early as 6.00am,” he said.
The Chairman also directed Electoral Officers in the FCT to closely supervise the implementation of logistics agreements at the Area Council level, noting that they would serve as the Commission’s eyes in ensuring compliance.
Emphasising the national and international attention on the election, Prof. Amupitan described the FCT as “the heart of Nigeria,” adding that all stakeholders must demonstrate patriotism and commitment to safeguarding electoral materials. He urged the unions to deploy their internal disciplinary mechanisms to ensure that members adhere strictly to the Commission’s guidelines, particularly in preventing incidents such as diversion or hijacking of materials.
In her response, Director, Legal Services of NURTW, Barr. Mercy Ibeh, acknowledged that the issues raised by the Commission were familiar and regularly form part of engagements between the unions and electoral authorities.
She noted that the level of success recorded in elections often depends on the depth of dialogue and collaboration between stakeholders. According to her, the union had, over several months, engaged extensively with the FCT office of the Commission to identify challenges and propose workable solutions.
While referring to previous operational difficulties experienced during the Anambra election, she stated that the union had formally communicated its concerns to INEC at the time, adding that some of the challenges encountered were beyond the union’s control.
Barr. Ibeh expressed optimism that with the issues discussed and solutions profiled during the current engagement, many of the earlier challenges would be addressed going forward. She also appealed for support towards strengthening the transport capacity of the union, noting that improved access to serviceable vehicles would enhance performance during elections.
Also speaking, FCT Chairman of NURTW, Abdullahi Dauda, assured the Commission of the union’s commitment to delivering on its obligations.
He stated that while challenges are inevitable in any large-scale operation, the key lies in leadership and problem-solving. According to him, the union had held discussions with the Resident Electoral Commissioner on identified gaps and had agreed on measures to resolve them.
“If they give us what we want, they will see what we are going to give them,” he said, adding that the union would ensure that all approved vehicles are deployed as agreed.
Mr. Dauda further assured that designated officers would monitor and verify vehicle deployment across wards and ensure that drivers report promptly for election duty. Although he declined to guarantee perfection, he expressed confidence that the arrangements put in place would make the forthcoming FCT election markedly different in terms of logistics performance.
