Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned leaders of transport unions engaged for the August 15 Osun State governorship election against any act of partisanship, insisting that vehicles and personnel deployed for the exercise must remain strictly neutral throughout the process. This was contained in the INEC Daily Bulletin, Volume 2, Number 479 of July 31, 2026.
The warning was given by the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, on Friday, 31st July, 2026, at the INEC State Office in Osogbo, as part of his readiness assessment engagements in the state ahead of the election.
Prof. Amupitan said the Commission had deliberately outsourced logistics to the unions to ensure the efficient movement of personnel and materials, but stressed that once engaged, the union fleets came under the Commission’s control and were expected to operate strictly in accordance with its regulations.
He noted that the Commission had received reports of transport union members displaying political posters and being linked to particular political parties in past assignments, warning that such conduct would not be tolerated in Osun.
“The moment we engage you for the purpose of this election, we are supposed to own your fleet, and therefore use it in accordance with our regulations. We are not supposed to take sides with anyone,” the Chairman said, adding that any lapse on the part of the unions could trigger unrest for which the Commission, and not the unions, would ultimately be held accountable.
The INEC Chairman also emphasised the importance of prompt delivery of election logistics, disclosing that voting had already been fixed to commence at 8.30 a.m. on August 15, 2026, across all polling units in the state.
He said Registration Area Centres (RACs) would be activated by 12 noon on the eve of the election, with vehicles expected to be on ground ahead of that time to convey poll officials and sensitive materials, alongside security personnel, to their respective polling units.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the Commission had deployed a real-time monitoring dashboard that would track the opening of polling units nationwide, stressing that excuses bordering on vehicle breakdown or driver unavailability would no longer be tolerated.
He put the number of local government areas in Osun State at 30, with 3,763 polling units and 322 registration areas to be serviced during the election, noting that some of the terrains were difficult and required union members familiar with the routes.
The INEC Chairman commended the unions for their support in previous elections, including the Area Council election in Abuja, but urged them to rise above internal leadership disputes currently affecting some of the unions and ensure a seamless operation devoid of political colouration.
Responding on behalf of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Head of Organisation of the union’s National Body, Olayioye Adesina, assured the Commission of the union’s readiness to deliver on its logistics obligations despite an ongoing internal leadership crisis within the union.
Adesina disclosed that the National Executive of the union had taken over full management of the Osun assignment from the State Council to forestall any suspicion of factional or partisan interference in the process.
He assured that vehicles would be sourced at the state capital for movement to RAC centres, while local branches across the 30 local government areas would handle last-mile logistics to polling units, and gave the Commission an assurance that no branded or politically-labelled vehicles would be deployed for the assignment.
He further disclosed that the union’s vehicles were routinely inspected and certified roadworthy in conjunction with the Federal Road Safety Corps, adding that drivers and coordinators involved in the exercise had undergone sensitisation training on the Commission’s operational guidelines.
From the transport union meeting, the INEC Chairman proceeded to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, on a courtesy visit that formed the next leg of his readiness tour of the state.
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