Court Stops INEC From Partnering With MC Oluomo in the forthcoming election.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party Lagos gubernatorial candidate, has acquired a court injunction preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from partnering with Musiliu Akinsanya in the forthcoming election.
Rhodes-Vivour announced this with a video in front of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday.
Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, an erstwhile chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos, had asked INEC to allow him help transport electoral materials.
There was a considerable push back against MC Oluomo because he had professed a partisan stance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
I am happy to announce that this morning, We successfully acquired an injunction barring INEC LAGOS STATE from dealing in anyway shape or form with MC Oluomo or any of his associated agencies.
I am grateful to GOD almighty and my legal team, and to the people of Lagos. #obidients pic.twitter.com/iGJfuAvbjY— Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (@GRVlagos) February 20, 2023
“I am happy to announce that this morning, we successfully acquired an injunction barring INEC LAGOS STATE from dealing in anyway shape or form with MC Oluomo or any of his associated agencies. I am grateful to GOD almighty and my legal team, and to the people of Lagos,” Rhodes-Viviour tweeted on Monday.
The suit filed by the Labour Party’s Rhodes-Vivour against INEC prayed the High Court to restrain INEC from dealing with MC Oluomo or his Lagos parks management outfit in the upcoming election.
INEC had previously employed the NURTW and a few other unions to help with election logistics in Lagos.
Olusegun Agbaje, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, had told journalists that INEC had to work with the Lagos State Parks Management Committee on February 7.
“There is a ban on the NURTW and RTEAN, we are only left with the Park Management system and NARTO (National Association of Road Transport Owners) and we are already working with NARTO,” Agbaje said.
“NARTO is not even able to meet up with 40 per cent of our vehicle requirements for this election. The commission in Lagos State does not have any option than to use park management system.
“We are not dealing with Oluomo, we are dealing with the park managers. Individual people that have vehicles are those we are going to use.
“We need over 5,000 vehicles for this election, including trucks, buses and so on to carry our people and materials for the elections. There is no other way we can go.
“We cannot go to other states and bring vehicles here, it is not allowed by law. The only way we can operate is through the park management system.
“These are the only people that can give us any type of vehicles. In fact, most of the NURTW drivers are working with the park management system.”
The gubernatorial election will be held on March 11, two weeks after next Saturday’s presidential election.
