This appeal is stated in a letter the union wrote to INEC in January 2023, which states that the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) had been suspended and that INEC should disregard any relationship with them.
The Lagos State Parks Management Committee led by Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo has written to the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission to allow his members to distribute sensitive electoral materials and transport election officials on Election Day.
This appeal is stated in a letter the union wrote to INEC in January 2023, which states that the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) had been suspended and that INEC should disregard any relationship with them.
The letter reads: “The Lagos State Parks and Garages Management (LASPG) hereby write to bring to your notice that Lagos State and States such as Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and some States are no longer under the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) as transportation is concerned. But under the various States Parks and Garages respectively.
“Our notification and request letter become imperative in order for there not to be technical as well as administrative lacuna in terms of transporting logistics and deployment/retrieval of election materials and personnel to and from all election points in the aforementioned States during the forthcoming 2023 General Election which if not quickly addressed might affect the election day.
“We at Lagos State Parks and Garages, under the Chairmanship of Alhaji (Dr.) Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya do hereby request that INEC should conduct an investigation into this information supplied while at the same time request that all transportation related arrangements in Lagos State should be at our preview because the operation of NURTW in Lagos State has been suspended.”
In October 2018, MC Oluomo described himself as a loyalist of Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in an Instagram post.
According to MC Oluomo, Tinubu owns him and the APC and whatever he (Tinubu) wants is what he (MC Oluomo) will support.
He wrote on his Instagram page, “I am an Asiwaju Bola Ahmend Tinubu Jagaban loyalist, I wear the Jagaban jersey, I've been a loyalist since 1999, the first mecca i went is through his execellence in the year 2000, moreso, he as done alot for me, he made me who i am today our relationship has been was very cordial and strong in the area that I grew up in.
“So I'm one of his loyalist that have strong believe in him, he own the party and any where his interest belong I Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya Mc oloumo belong. I and my people in Oshodi formerly endorse HE Akinwunmi Ambode for 2nd term because his government is still working in the shadow of the party national leader, but now the case is vice-visa i have to follow the interest of Bola Ahmend Tinubu and the party decision.
“If Asiwaju Bola Ahmend Tinubu again says is no more Babajide Sanwoolu but someone else, so shall it be.”
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters earlier reported on Thursday that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, warned INEC against using the Lagos State Parks Management Committee led by MC Oluomo for logistics during the February polls.
This was stated in a press release by Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
INEC National Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, met with the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) on Tuesday and reached an agreement on how to transport election officials and ballot papers to polling units on the Election Day.
But Shaibu noted that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had banned the NURTW because the union's national leadership had suspended MC Oluomo, Tinubu's henchman in the state.
He stated, “It has been brought to our attention that INEC will be using members of the NURTW, RTEAN and other registered unions to transport election materials and electoral officials and corps members on election day. Unfortunately, in Lagos State, there is no NURTW or RTEAN as they have been proscribed by Governor Sanwo-Olu.”
“To preserve the sanctity of this election and ensure that there is no room for electoral malpractice, INEC must ensure that MC Oluomo is not allowed access to ballot papers. INEC should not make use of the state’s park committee.
“Rather, the commission should reach out to the national leadership of the NURTW and or engage the services of any logistic company for the purpose of distributing sensitive electoral materials in Lagos State,” Shaibu said.