We’ll Prevent Rigging Of Elections In 2023, Say Abuja Keke, Motorcycle Riders

The Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners, Repairs, and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) has promised to prevent rigging of the 2023 election.

The association said although it’s not partisan, its members would work to help the INEC to deliver credible, fair, and free elections in 2023.

Speaking at its Annual Strategic Stakeholders Summit which was held at Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre in Abuja on Thursday, the National President of ACOMORAN, Alhaji Samsudeen Adebayo Apelogun, stated that members of the association are all over the country.

Apelogun while speaking on the ban placed on commercial motorcycle operations in some areas of the FCT, said the ban would render over 12 million of its members jobless.

According to him, the 12 million members of the association cannot be taken for granted, which is one of the reasons they decided to organise a seminar to educate their members on good behavior.

He said, “The work of security is the mutual responsibility of the citizens. The hard way is the only way because they don’t want a situation where the government will come up with a proposal that they will totally ban us, where do they want us to go? The 12 million Nigerians on this project cannot be taken for granted, and that’s the reason we organised a seminar to educate our members on what to do and not do.”

On the harmless approach, they have adopted, he said, “We are collaborating with the security apparatus for now. The harmless approach is, what can the government do for us and what can we do for the government.

“How they introduced innovation to track anybody that uses a motorcycle to commit any crime or act of evil in Nigeria is the harmless approach and we have the transportation security code. We also have another way that at least if we the stakeholders are called to the roundtable, we will be able to provide a lasting solution.”

He further advised his members to be cautious with their motorcycles and commuters.

He said, “My message to our members is, they should be cautious with their motorcycles and commuters and should do anything within their power to promote the economic development of their area.

“They should contribute immensely to developing their community and they should make sure they are at the heart of community policing. Any time they envisage anybody that wants to commit any crime or evil they should inform the right authorities“.

Speaking on the union’s stand on the 2023 election, he said, “We are not partisans, so we are working to help INEC to deliver credible, fair, and free elections because we are across all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

“In terms of distributing INEC materials, we will support them, and we will support them to conduct free and fair elections, through our members, when they see that they gather to rig elections because we have data, and they need to call us.”

THE WHISTLER had reported that the FCTA extended its clampdown on motorcycle and tricycle operators in some areas of the territory over the continued lawlessness exhibited by the operators.