Nigeria’s electoral body has issued a stern warning to transport unions ahead of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council elections, stating it will no longer accept excuses for logistical delays that have previously marred the country’s polls. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Joash Amupitan told representatives from the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) that the success of the upcoming vote depends entirely on the “swift movement” of materials.
Almost a disaster
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting, the Chairman referenced the recent governorship election in Anambra State as a cautionary tale, describing the logistics there as “almost a disaster.”He accused the unions of failing to honour previous agreements, noting that many vehicles provided to transport sensitive materials were “out of order,” forcing the commission to source emergency transport from neighboring states.”We don’t even want any excuses, whether genuine or not,” the Chairman said, adopting a hardline stance. “Some people will deliberately make mistakes and then apologize. We don’t want that. You are part of the process to ensure we have a credible system.”
High stakes in the capital
The FCT election is seen as a major test for the commission. With 570 candidates vying for chairmanship and vice-chairmanship positions across six area councils, the scale of the operation is equivalent to a state-wide election. INEC plans to hire 1,132 vehicles to service over 2,800 polling units. The goal is for polls to open at 08:00 local time, requiring drivers to be at their Registration Area Centres (RACs) by 06:00.”The Federal Capital Territory is the heart of Nigeria,” the Chairman added. “The eyes of the whole world, not just Nigeria, are on us.”
Unions call for support
In response, the transport unions pointed to systemic challenges that hinder their performance. Barrister Mercy Ibeh, Director of Legal Affairs for the NURTW, noted that the “rate of success depends on open discussion” and suggested that the difficulties in Anambra were due to external factors already communicated to INEC in writing. She also called on the electoral body to lobby the federal government for better equipment. “Perhaps you could put in a word for the government to empower the union with better vehicles,” she said. “The union always needs to work with good and serviceable vehicles.”Meanwhile, the FCT Chairman of the NURTW, Abdullahi Dauda, offered a more cautious guarantee. While he promised that officers would be on the ground to monitor every ward, he added a caveat: “If they give us what we want, they will see what we are going to give them.”
The FCT council elections are scheduled to take place this Saturday, alongside several by-elections in Rivers and Kano states.
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