ELECTION LOGISTICS: INEC Signs MoU with NURTW, NARTO and MWUN

… We will require over 100,000 vehicles and about 4,200 boats to execute 2023 election- INEC Boss

Oru Leonard

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), signed a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with transport unions at Abuja yesterday Tuesday, December 20th.

The INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu who noted that the signing of a revised MoU with the road and marine transport unions is a demonstration of INEC’s determination to implement key recommendations of the review exercise in order to enhance forward and reverse logistics in our electoral operations, disclosed that the Commission will require over 100,000 vehicles and about 4,200 boats that will be accompanied by naval gunboats to serve the nationwide deployment of over 1 million personnel and massive quantities of materials twice within a period of two weeks from our State offices to 774 Local Government Areas, 8,809 electoral Wards and 176,846 polling units across the length and breadth of our country during the 2023 election.

“This is a huge undertaking that must be accomplished in the next 66 days and we are resolute in doing so to give Nigerians a pleasant voting experience. Let me assure Nigerians that we are determined that all polling units nationwide will open at 8.30am on Saturday, 25th February 2023 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and on Saturday, 11th March 2023 for the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections” Yakubu stressed.

He said the MoU is a general framework as the contractual agreement between and Commission and the actual service provides will be worked out at the State and LGA level between officials of the Unions and the Resident Electoral Commissioners, Electoral Officers, adding that the agreement will be legally binding.

“It is our expectation that the leadership of the unions will effectively supervise their members in the various chapters and branches for the full implementation of the MoU. In doing so, you will be required to work very closely with our Resident Electoral Commissioners and collaborate with the Federal Regulatory and Safety Agencies to ensure that the objectives of the MoU are fully realized in terms of required road/sea worthiness and safety standards of your vehicles and boats. Furthermore, the knowledge of your members of the routes and topography in various parts of the country is especially important for ease of movement and a timeouts and safe delivery of personnel and materials, especially to areas with difficult terrain.

“A new requirement in the new electoral legal framework is that everyone involved in election duties must subscribe to the INEC Oath/Affirmation of Neutrality. We will therefore require your members to swear and strictly adhere to this oath and the INEC Code of Conduct for Electoral Officials as your participation in the delivery of electoral logistics requires absolute neutrality and non-partisanship. The security agencies shall not only be available to escort all vehicles and boats to locations, they will also ensure the safety and protection of all election personnel and materials. As usual, we shall track the movement of all vehicles and boats electronically and in real time to ensure that election personnel and materials are not hijacked or diverted” The INEC boss stated.

Speaking, the National President, NURTW, Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa, pledged that the Union will contribute its quota to ensure the success of the 2023 general election.

“I would like to assure INEC that in 2023 we will do our best than what we did in the previous election,” he said.

Also speaking, the National President, NARTO, Alhaji Lawal Yusuf Othman, pledged that the Association would carry out its assigned duty effectively as stated in the revised MoU.

“We will do everything possible to carry out our duty effectively for the deployment of personnel and materials and other logistics for the 2023 general elections,” he said.