Our contract is with individual drivers, not MC Oluomo: INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says its contract for logistics delivery for the forthcoming general elections in Lagos is with individual drivers and not Musiliu ‘MC Oluomo’ Akinsanya.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, made the clarification in an interview on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Okoye was reacting to concerns regarding the plan by INEC to engage the MC Oluomo-led Lagos Park Management Committee for transportation of election materials and personnel in the forthcoming elections in the state.

He said the role of road transport union was to assist INEC sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with commission and the drivers to be engaged for election duty.

“This commission has contract with individual drivers. The National Union of Road Transport Workers has no vehicles. So, we signed individual contract with all the persons who are going to provide vehicles for us.

“For this election we are going to hire at least 138,000 vehicles. We are going to hire over 4,000 boats and we are going to hire over 8,000 motorcycles.

“We are going to sign individual contract with all these people. The only thing the road transport union workers does for us is that we have what we call a Memorandum of Understanding with them, so that if for instance any of the members goes AWOL, they will help us track the person down.

“If somebody does not report on time, they will help us find out why the person has not reported on time. But our contract is with individual drivers,” he said.

Mr Okoye urged Nigerians to stop linking INEC with an individual, saying the commission’s commitment was to the individual drivers.

“The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State has never said that we are going to work with individual you have mentioned.

“What he said was that if there’s no NURTW in Lagos, but Park Management Committee, that we are going to work with the committee, because we cannot be seen to be breaking the law.

“So, that is the issue. People should banish this whole idea of linking the commission to an individual.

“Our commitment is to the individual drivers that are going to sign a contract with and we are also going to take oath of neutrality and oath of allegiance to the commission, and that is where we stand on the matter,” he said.

Several stakeholders, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have raised concern on the use of the Park Management Committee in Lagos by INEC.

(NAN)