The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State has stated that it is unaware of any faction within the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state as it prepares for the governorship election on August 15.
Oluwatoyin Babalola, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, made the clarification at a town hall meeting held by the Civil Society Network on Election Integrity in Osogbo on Sunday.
Babalola explained that the commission works directly with the NURTW’s national leadership on election logistics, rather than state chapters, and that the arrangement is guided by an existing Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties.
According to her, “INEC has maintained communication with representatives of the union’s national leadership and has received no information indicating the existence of factions within the organization.”
“The NURTW and NARTO are our primary modes of transportation for materials and personnel. The national leadership has signed an MOU with the Commission, and we have been in contact with a representative of the national leadership. We are not aware of any factionalisation.”
She said that the commission has already held training sessions for transport providers in all local government areas in Osun State in preparation for the election.
The REC further stated that INEC would examine vehicles to be deployed for election responsibilities on the Tuesday and Wednesday preceding the governorship election to ensure they met the criteria set by the agreement with the transport unions.
“Part of the MOU is that they must provide us with good vehicles, and we have scheduled the Tuesday and Wednesday preceding the election to inspect those vehicles,” she continued.
The clarification comes amid a leadership struggle in the NURTW’s Osun State chapter, where the national leadership recently formed a new caretaker committee due to differences inside the state branch.
INEC has continued to prepare for the August governorship election, stating that its logistics arrangements are still coordinated through the national leadership of the NURTW and the National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, despite developments within the state chapter.