2023: RTEAN Issues Strong Warning To Members, Speaks On Preferred Candidate

A stern warning has gone out to members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) ahead of Saturday’s polls.

Naija News understands that the association on Monday warned its members nationwide not to be used by political thugs to disrupt the forthcoming elections.

This is as the group cleared the air about its relationship with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the movement of logistics during elections.

According to the President of RTEAN, Musa Maitakobi, the association had yet to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with INEC on the movement of election materials.

He said INEC has not invited the group for any dealings yet and more so they are vehicle owners and not drivers, hence if the commission needs their services they know where to locate their office.

The RTEAN boss told pressmen during the group’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja that “We are vehicle owners. We are not drivers and we are representing the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the trade union act. We can’t go otherwise. INEC knows we are here and they know our headquarters. If they invite us, we will go and if they don’t, we can’t push ourselves to INEC. If you want to know the reason why we are yet to sign an MoU, it is better to communicate with the INEC chairman and ask him why he didn’t invite RTEAN this year.”

Maitakobi denied the allegations that its members were to be armed to use as tools to disrupt elections by politicians on election day.

Speaking about the group’s preferred candidate, the RTEAN boss the group is neutral and would not engage in partisan politics or endorse any candidate because its constitution doesn’t support such.

He advanced that “Today, being February 20, 2023, we have a special message to our members throughout the federation. The message is simple. Members of RTEAN, anywhere you find yourself, don’t be allowed to be used as thugs or hooligans. I know our members are law-abiding citizens and we, as an association, will not allow any member to involve himself in any trouble.

“Our constitution did not tell me to have a preference among people contesting elections. Our constitution does not recognise ethnicity, religion, and politics.”