The Lagos State Chapter of the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) on Sunday warned its members to steer clear of electoral violence and thuggery before, during and after the 2019 general elections.
Alhaji Mohammed Musa, the Chairman of the chapter, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
NAN reports that political campaigns for both Presidential and National Assembly elections will kick off on Nov. 18 while that of Governorship and State House of Assembly elections will begin on Dec. 1.
Both Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to hold in Feb. 16, 2019, while Governorship and State Assembly elections are slated for March 2.
Musa noted that he had been stressing the need for every member of the union to possess the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) to enable them install representatives they wanted in government.
He said that the union would disown any member caught perpetrating violence.
“Our people must stop complaining and engaging in violence. We should use our voter’s cards to vote in the people we believe can meet our aspirations and vote out those we know cannot do it.
“As a leader, I have my PVC. My own advice to my members is to go and get their PVCs.
“Our members should not be used by politicians to collect dollars or pounds or Euros to destroy or kill. They have been warned never to be involved in such deals with any politician.
“If you involve yourself, don’t mention the name of our association. We shall expel you because we are not thugs; we are transport owners.
“I have advised our members that all they need to do is to get their PVCs which we have made compulsory for all,’’ the RTEAN boss said.
According to Musa, all members must possess PVCs before January deadline to avoid being sanctioned by the union.
NAN reports that the state chapter of RTEAN organised an awareness campaign tagged: “Operation Show Your Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs)’’, for its members in October, where all executive members of the union presented their PVCs.
“Our union believes that the only way we can vote in leaders of our choice and vote out those we believe are not for the masses is by having PVCs.
“The weapon we have is only the PVC, which is why it is very important for every member to have it ready before January 2019, ‘’ the RTEAN boss said.