The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) responded to the court ruling prohibiting it from employing Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, head of the Lagos State Parks Management Committee, by asserting that he had nothing to do with the commission.
INEC’s decision to distribute election materials in collaboration with the Lagos State Parks Management Committee has generated controversy in recent days.
INEC resident electoral commissioner (REC) in Lagos, Olusegun Agbaje, stated that he had no choice but to collaborate with the LSPMC to distribute election materials in the state.
On Monday, a federal high court in Lagos prohibited INEC from employing MC Oluomo.
Festus Okoye, national commissioner of INEC, stated that the commission has signed memorandums of understanding with the National Union of Road Transport Workers, the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, and the Maritime Workers Union.
“What we’ve said is that any individual driver with a vehicle who wishes to work for the commission must go to one of the commission’s local government offices to register his or her vehicle for use on election day,” he told TheCable.
“And when you register, you supply your name, your telephone number, and your personal information. The federal road safety commission will profile you and your car to ensure that your vehicle is fit for its intended use and that you are a registered driver. We will deploy more than 5,000 vehicles and trucks in Lagos State.
“At the national level, since the majority of these individuals are union members on election day, if a transporter does not show up, it is possible that his union has his phone number and will call him to find out why he did not show up.
“For each driver that we employ, we assign a contract with the local government commission stating that he or she has a vehicle, will be present on election day, and will partake in what we term forward logistics and reverse logistics.”
As a result, the commissioner stated that as far as INEC is concerned, “the ruling or injunction by the federal high court in Lagos has nothing to do with the commission because the commission never entered into a contract with the individual they referenced.”
“The commission has no contact with the individual in question, and it has never indicated that it would employ the individual for any purpose. “I don’t believe there is anyone who has 5,000 automobiles and can offer 5,000 vehicles to INEC,” he remarked.
We have no relationship with the individual listed in any manner.
