INEC Issues Strict Warning to Transport Unions Ahead of FCT Area Council Polls

 

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a stern warning to transport unions responsible for the logistics of Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, urging strict adherence to agreed operational plans.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the warning during a meeting with leaders of key transport unions in Abuja, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NATRO), and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria.

Prof. Amupitan described transport logistics as “the backbone of electoral operations” and stressed that the success of the elections would depend largely on the timely movement of materials and personnel across the six area councils of the FCT.

“An election can only be as good as its logistics,” he said. “INEC will not accept excuses that could undermine the process, whether deliberate or inadvertent. Our goal is for voting to commence at 8:30 a.m., which means materials must arrive at polling units by 7 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. Vehicles must leave the registration area centres (RACs) by 6 a.m.”

According to INEC, about 1,132 vehicles have been engaged to support the movement of election materials across 2,822 polling units in the FCT. A total of 570 candidates are contesting for chairmanship, vice-chairmanship, and councillorship positions.

Prof. Amupitan expressed concern over past logistical challenges, including the deployment of unserviceable vehicles and delayed arrivals, which sometimes required activation of alternative arrangements to avoid operational setbacks.

He also urged unions to enforce their internal disciplinary mechanisms to prevent incidents such as diversion or hijacking of electoral materials, highlighting the national and international attention on the FCT elections.

In response, Mercy Ibeh, Director of Legal Services at NURTW, acknowledged previous operational difficulties but expressed optimism that the current engagement with INEC would ensure smoother operations.

FCT NURTW Chairman, Abdullahi Dauda, also assured the commission of the union’s commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities, emphasizing that all approved vehicles would be deployed and monitored closely across wards.

Dauda stated, “If they give us what we need, they will see the results we will deliver. The arrangements in place will make this election remarkably different in terms of logistics performance.”