INEC Osun has confirmed it is not aware of any faction within the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state as it finalizes logistics for the upcoming August 15 governorship election. The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, made the statement during a town hall meeting hosted by the Civil Society Network on Election Integrity in Osogbo on Sunday. She emphasized that INEC operates directly with the national leadership of NURTW and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) for election transportation arrangements, citing an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the commission and the unions.
Babalola stated that the commission has maintained consistent communication with representatives from the national leadership of NURTW and has not received any official notification of internal divisions within the union. “For the transportation of our materials and personnel, we rely on the NURTW and NARTO. The national leadership has an MOU with the Commission, and we have been communicating with a representative of the national leadership. We’re not aware of any factionalisation,” she said. This clarification comes amid a leadership crisis in the Osun State chapter of NURTW, where the national leadership recently appointed a caretaker committee to manage the state branch following internal disagreements.
The electoral body has already conducted training sessions for transport providers across all 30 local government areas in Osun State to ensure smooth operations during the election. INEC plans to inspect all vehicles designated for election duties on Tuesday and Wednesday before the poll to verify compliance with the standards outlined in the MOU. “Part of the MOU is that they must provide us with good vehicles, and we have scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday preceding the election to inspect those vehicles,” Babalola added.
Despite the leadership dispute in the state chapter, INEC insists its logistics preparations remain unaffected and are being coordinated through the national leadership of both NURTW and NARTO. The commission’s focus remains on ensuring transparency, security, and efficiency in the transportation of electoral materials and personnel. As the election date draws closer, INEC continues to engage stakeholders and civil society groups to build public confidence in the electoral process. The commission’s commitment to working with national union leadership underscores its efforts to maintain stability and continuity in election logistics across Osun State.
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