In a bid to ensure timely delivery of sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials to designated registration areas ahead of tomorrow’s governorship and state House of Assembly election in the state, Benue State Secretary of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), comrade Stephen Akintola said the union is fully set to ensure a seamless transportation process.
Comrade Akintola gave this indication during an interview with SUNDAY STANDARD in reaction to late commencement of voting in most polling units cross the state by INEC ad-hoc staff who blamed it on logistical lapses experienced during the February 25th, 2023, Presidential and National Assembly elections, stated that the transport union has maintained the synergy between it and the commission.
According to the state NURTW chief scribe, the late commencement of polling in most polling units cross the state was largely due to inability of some of the INEC ad-hoc staff to round up sorting of electoral materials from the local government INEC offices where materials are usually collected.
On allegations that the Presidential and National Assembly elections were marred by rigging and other forms of electoral irregularities, comrade Akintola urged politicians to learn to accept defeat, stressing that in any electoral contest, there will always be winners and losers.
He explained that the outcome of the last Presidential and National Assembly elections was a clear case of a paradigm shift from the days of primitive rigging with ballot box and papers stuffing.
On his expectations from the incoming administration, the road transport union state scribe said Chief Bola Tinubu should prioritise provision of public infrastructure such as good access roads, hospitals, schools and a host of others.
He said the incoming administration should make concerted efforts at revamping the health sector with quality health personnel.
While charging the electorate not to allow themselves to be used as agents of electoral violence, pointing out that the key political actors should first bear in mind before the die is cast that there will be winners and losers and imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship at the end of the day.
He advised those who will be aggrieved at the end of the exercise to approach the right channel to express their grievance rather than ways that are capable of igniting unrest in the already frayed nerves.
