Polls: RTEAN cautions members against political thuggery, electoral violence
The National President of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Dr. Musa Muhammed Maitakobi, has enjoined members of the association not to allow themselves to be used as political thugs to promote violence in the forthcoming general election.
He also urged them to remain law abiding and eschew conduct capable of leading to disturbance of public peace.
Maitakobi gave the charge on Monday during the National Executive Council meeting of the association at the RTEAN headquarters in Abuja.
Also, he explained why the association won’t endorse any candidate, either from the North or South, ahead of the presidential election despite overtures by several political parties.
According to him, backing any presidential candidate would drag RTEAN into the age-old politics of identity, which promotes the cleavages of the nation along ethnic, religious and regional lines.
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He said, “We have special message to our members throughout the Federation. We are not endorsing an to presidential candidate, because the RTEAN constitution does not allow us to have or demonstrate a form of preference among people contesting elections. Our constitution does not recognise ethnicity, religion and politics.
“Any member of RTEAN, anywhere you found yourself, don’t allow yourselves to be used for touting, political thuggery and hooliganism.
“We are law abiding citizens and we will not allow any RTEAN member to be involved in electoral violence during the elections.
“The state chairmen and secretaries should call their members and address them. They should not allow themselves to be used in as political thugs to foment crisis.
“We need peace in this country. I urge all the state chairmen to cooperate with the security agencies during the elections.”
Meanwhile, the national, zonal, and state leaders of RTEAN passed a vote of confidence on Maitakobi for what they described as purposeful and satisfactory leadership of the association since he assumed office in 2020.
They commended him as sole candidate during the fourth coming RTEAN National Delegate Conference slated in April 2023 for his re-election in another tenure in office because his remarkable success in office since October 2020 and uniting the members of RTEAN, and introducing initiatives that has improved the local economy of the organisation within a short time.
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