The Oyo State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ambassador Rufus Akeju, has disclosed that the commission needs 27,000 vehicles for smooth operations during the March 28 and April 11 elections in the State, reason it entered into partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

Akeju, made this known on Tuesday, while speaking during an emergency stakeholders meeting with chairmen and secretaries of political parties in the state, held at INEC secretariat, Ibadan.

He noted that the wide expanse of land and the huge number of polling units in Nigeria, coupled with the fact that the commission cannot possibly purchase and maintain the fleet of vehicles required for seamless movement of men and materials to and from the field of election, necessitated hiring of vehicles for election logistics.

Election logistics, Akeju said “occupies a very significant position in the election planning and especially, execution/implementation of the planning. The reasons stated above have compelled the commission to be patronising commercial drivers since the constitution of INEC in 1998.”

While stating reasons INEC went into partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Akeju said: “INEC at the national level, initiated consultative meetings with the executives of the union at national level. After series of meetings, a Memorandum of Understanding was agreed upon and signed by the two bodies. Arising from the MoU, the commission instructed the state offices to hold meetings with the state branches of the union.”

He further stated that: “Consequently, INEC in Oyo State held a meeting with the state executives of NURTW led by a national officer, in this conference room on the February 3.

“From the foregoing, the partnership is a policy matter being handled by the national headquarters of INEC and implemented by the state and local government offices,” he concluded.