48 Hours To Ondo Election, Free Food For Residents, As Group Flays NURTW Involvement in Election |The Source

By Ayodele Oni

Residents of Ondo state were stunned on Thursday as some food items, meant for Palliatives during the Covid 19 rampage, resurfaced, and are being used to woo voters for Saturday’s Governorship election.

This is just as a Civil Rights Group, flayed the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to hire buses owned by members of National Union of Road Transport Workers,(NURTW) to transport election materials, describing it as untidy.

Some agents of one of the political parties that is participating in the election had invaded major markets in Akure metropolis with sachets of indomie Noddles with inscription, ‘COVID-19’   which they were distributing to people.

Apart from this, the sum of N200 was being shared to the market women, some of who expressed surprise about the free food.

Some of those that spoke expressed disappointment that items meant to have been given to people to cushion effect of sitting at home during the pandemic are now being shared to woo voters.

The Co-Chair of YIAGA Africa, Dr Aisha Abdulahi during a briefing on preparations for the election obeerved that “although INEC has shown readiness to deploy its officials and materials early to the polling units, YIAGA Africa is concerned with the Commission’s reliance on NURTW members to transport election materials and personnel to the polling units.

“This is because in the build-up to the election, some members of the NURTW were reported to have endorsed some candidates in the election.

“The leadership of the transport union is a militant arm of one of the political parties participating in the election. This puts their integrity and neutrality to question.”

“Yiaga Africa fears that partisan and comprised NURTW members will deliberately cause delays in the commencement of polls in some areas by either refusing to deploy or give reasons to delay the process.

“INEC should ensure all  election materials and personnel are deployed to the Registration Area Camps 24hrs before the commencement of polls.”