The Handshake Campaign Organisation’ (HANCO), has called on the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Oyo State, Alhaji Abideen Ejiogbe to desist from forcing his member to help APC in wining the forthcoming gubernatorial poll in the state,
They also urged him to be mindful of his utterances while supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC).
HANCO in a statement issued on Wednesday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital by its Director of Media, Publicity and Protocol, Lanre Ogundipe posit that although Ejiogbe has the right to support the APC but he must not force his will on members of the union.
According to the statement, “at times, the NURTW boss is even seen on the podium promising fire and brimstone, and castigating opposition candidates. Why we do not object to his support of whatever candidate he wish to support, we want him to realize that he leads a union that comprises several individuals, who also have democratic rights to support candidates of their choices, hence, he shouldn’t use his position to coerce members into doing his wish.”
HANCO also wondered how INEC, knowing the very important role NURTW will play in the coming polls, especially movement of sensitive election materials to ensure equity, probity and fairness, especially with a blatantly political State Chairman at the helms of affairs.
The ADC campaign group accused Oyo APC of planning “electoral heist” by planting about 70 members of the party as electoral officers in the 33 local government areas of the state.
“This devious scheme was made possible, owing to the fact that INEC’s local government offices are often times, located in the premises of most local government headquarters.”
The campaign organisation however called on INEC to investigate the abnormalities, and push out all APC loyalists already planted to do the bidding of their unpopular party, stressing that not only must elections be free, fair and credible, it must be patently seen to be so.
“HANCO will like to remind the APC, that all its antics, underhand dealings and shenanigans, will end up in futility as the good people of Oyo State already fed up with APC 8year of bad governance, noting that people of the state have determined to vote out APC, and vote in Senator Olufemi Lanlehin (SOLAN), the true friend of the people, and that APC desperate antics are therefore a mere waste of time and resources.
