Court Stops INEC From Using MC Oluomo For Material Distribution

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on Monday, granted "an order of interlocutory injunction filed by the Labour Party and five others restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (defendant/respondent), whether by itself or by its officers, affiliates, servants, privies or agents or any person acting or purporting to act for and on behalf howsoever from taking any steps or further steps whatsoever in furtherance of the engagement or appointment or consummating the appointment of Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo-led Lagos State Parks Management Committee or any of its commercial bus drivers to distribute 2023 election materials and personnel in Lagos State pending the hearing and determination the substantive suit.ÔÇØ

Apart from the Labour Party and its governorship candidate in the state, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the other political parties who filed the application are: African Democratic Congress and its candidate, Funsho Doherty and the Boot Party, and its candidate, Wale Oluwo.

Nigerians raised concern on the intended collaboration of the INEC with MC Oluomo on the grounds that he is a staunch supporter of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Recall that the Residential Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Olusegun Agbaje, had stated that INEC was not concerned with MC Oluomo but the motor park administration.

He had said;

"On the issue of MC Oluomo, the commission is not concerned with Oluomo. We are concerned with the issue of motor park administration in Lagos.

"For the past two years, the Lagos State government has banned the operations of the NURTW and RTEAN in the state. They had problems and the state government banned them.

"So we are left with Lagos State Park and Garages and the National Association of Road Transport Owners,ÔÇØ adding that NARTO, which, according to him, the commission was already working with, "is not able to meet up with the 40 per cent needs of the commission for this election, hence the commission's consideration of engaging the MC Oluomo-led Lagos State Parks and Garages.

"We are not dealing with MC Oluomo, we are dealing with park managers. They are individual persons that have vehicles that we are going to use for the elections.

"The law has already banned the NURTW from operating in the state so we cannot violate the law by patronising them.

"It will be we working against the law if we have to be working with the banned associations. So it cannot work.ÔÇØ