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By Chukwudi Nweje, Lagos
The Lagos State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has blasted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its engagement of the Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo) led Lagos Motor Parks and Garages Committee, which it described as “an organised arm of the APC in Lagos State”, for the transporting and distribution of election personnel and materials during the coming 2023 general elections in the state.
The PDP, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary in the state, Hakeem Amode, noted that the Motor Parks and Garages Committee is a partisan organisation whose members “daily openly display the campaign banner of the APC candidates on their vehicle.”
It said engaging the MC Oluomo-led committee would lead to a loss of confidence in the INEC.
“Our party believe in the capacity of the INEC to conduct a free and fair election in Lagos State in 2023 as witnessed in Ekiti and Osun recently and we urge the leadership of the commission to preserve its sanctity by jettisoning the idea of engaging the services of members of Lagos State Motor Parks and Garages in the deployment of its personnel and materials as that may lead to eroding the confidence the electorate already impose in the commission ahead of the 2023 elections,” Amode said.
Amode urged the INEC to source for alternative transportation logistics arrangements by engaging private companies to transport its materials and personnel for the election duty to avoid the efforts of the commission being eroded by partisan “elements interested in serving the interest of the ruling APC.”
The statement read:
“The Lagos State PDP would like to warn that the INEC will be giving the ruling party APC an undue advantage in the coming elections by engaging the services of the Lagos State Motor Parks and Garages Committee and or its members in the transporting and distribution of election personnel and materials during the coming 2023 general elections in the state.
“It is common knowledge that the current leadership of the Motor Parks Committee under Mr Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, is an organised arm of the APC in Lagos state. The Committee’s emergence came as a result of the interest of the present government and members of the committee and operators have declared their support and interest to support candidates of the APC at a well-attended and publicised campaign rally held recently in the state.
“There is clear evidence that the transporters under the aegis of Lagos Motor Parks and Garages are daily openly displaying the campaign banner of the APC candidates on their vehicles plying the roads in Lagos. It, therefore, calls for concern about how INEC in the wisdom of its leadership thinks these committee members and transport operators will not undermine its efforts by dancing to the whims and caprices of their benefactor to affect the election in favour of their principal interest.
“We would like to implore the INEC to source for alternative transportation arrangements for the election personnel and materials to avoid the efforts of the commission being eroded by elements who are interested in serving the interest of their political benefactors in the coming election. We suggest that the option of engaging Uber, Taxify and other private transport operations should be considered rather than employing the services of a known political arm of the ruling party in the state.
“Our party believe in the capacity of the INEC to conduct a free and fair election in Lagos State in 2023 as witnessed in Ekiti and Osun recently and we urge the leadership of the commission to preserve its sanctity by jettisoning the idea of engaging the services of members of Lagos State Motor Parks and Garages in the deployment of its personnel and materials as that may lead to eroding the confidence the electorate already impose in the commission ahead of the 2023 elections.
“In the same light, the leadership of our party would be readily available to suggest independent transport operation organisations that would serve the interest of the commission better and to preserve the respect the electorate already accord the commission.”
