Osun Gov Election: INEC  Won’t Provide Transport For Party Agents

By Ayodele Oni

Fifteen days to the Osun State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has clarified that it has no business conveying party agents to their duty posts on election day.

It has, therefore, called on political parties to make transportation arrangement for their polling units agents on the Election Day.

INEC spoke on Friday during a roundtable engagement with Media Executives in Osogbo, the state capital.

Chairman of Voter Education and Publicity Committee, Festus Okoye said the past experiences have shown that stranded party agents would be dragging spaces with the adhoc staff of the commission in buses hired by the INEC.

He said the INEC National Chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu will be in Osun State on Sunday to start engagement with different stakeholders in the State ahead of the election.

According to him, the leadership of the transport unions will be engaged for the purpose of providing logistics for the commission on the election day.

Okoye said, “It’s important for political parties to make provisions for the polling agents. We don’t want a situation where party agents will be dragging spaces with our presiding officers in buses we hire.

“The bus we provide carries sensitive and non sensitive materials and the presiding officers and sometimes, with the security agents.

“We don’t want a situation where polling agents will insist on getting into our vehicles at the detriment of our workers.

“It’s highly unacceptable for the type of materials we carry. This is why we’re calling on the political parties to get vehicle for their agents.”

Okoye also advised the parties to ensure that their agents put on accreditation tags provided by the commission alone.