By Adeyinka Aderibigbe
The Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Lagos State chapter, have thrown their weight behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari and state’s governorship candidate Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Declaring the union’s support for all the APC candidates at a rally which took place along the Iyana Iba- Igando road, yesterday, RTEAN State Chairman Alhaji Mohammed Musa, said the association sided with the ruling party because of its giant strides in transportation and provision of massive road infrastructure.
Musa said RTEAN has been carrying out periodic political enlightenment of its members since last year and has been at the vanguard of the collection of Personal Voter’s Card (PVC) by all its members through a regular programme tagged “Operation Show Your Voter Cards (PVCs)” which has been taken to all its zones and branches in order to ensure that none of its members are disenfranchised in the state.
According to him, the union executive and members unanimously agreed to support Buhari and Sanwo-Olu as well as all other APC candidates in the state.
The RTEAN boss said: “Today, we organise all our members throughout Lagos State, for “Operation Show Your Voter Cards” to show the nation that we are ready for the elections.
“We are also using this rally to tell our members not to be involved in violence during the elections.
“We are solidly behind all the APC candidates, beginning from President Muhammadu Buhari and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Dr Femi Hamzat as governor and deputy governor of Lagos State.
“The same support is given to all the APC candidates for Senate, House of Representatives and state house of assembly. Everywhere in Lagos State, we give our support to APC candidates.
“We have concluded it, we are for APC.We will support APC by God’s grace.We will use our voter cards to give them that support.”
The RTEAN boss, who noted that Buhari had done much with little resources, called for support for his reelection on Feb. 16.
According to him, previous leaders have shown greed, selfishness and sentiment which had kept the country backward among comity of nations.
“If we have got good leaders in this country like President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria will not be where it is today,” Musa added.
He said Nigeria is greatly blessed with human and natural resources but had not been lucky with good leaders in the past, saying President Buhari had done much with little resources.
The union boss, however, urged all the executive members of the union across various branches and zones in the state to enforce the compulsory possession of PVCs by all members.
Musa added that all members must be mobilised to cast their votes in support of Buhari and Sanwo-Olu and other APC candidates to protect the union’s interest.
He urged members to desist from all forms of violence but use their PVCs to install government that would serve their interest.
According to him, any member caught engaging in violence during elections will be disowned by the union.
Members of the Nagari Nakowa Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association Lagos (NNAMORAL) and Tricycle Owners and Drivers Association of Lagos (TODAL) were part of the rally.
The union also used the occasion to check the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) of members in preparations for the general elections in Lagos.
Members of the union drawn from different local government areas and local council development areas put on campaign vests and caps to show support for the APC gubernatorial candidates.
Prominent among the inscriptions on the vests were: “RTEAN supports Sanwo-Olu for Governor, Lagos State 2019″, RTEAN says Yes to Babajide Sanwo-Olu for Governor, Lagos State”, “Igbega Eko Ti Di Ajumose”, Sanwo-Olu for Greater Lagos,” and “Sanwo Ni Joo.”