National Executive Committee Suspends CIOTA Electoral Process

·          We Are Committed To Transparent, Credible Elections, Says Jamoh

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria has suspended the electoral process for the 2022 General Elections as announced by the seven-man Ad-Hoc electoral panel headed by Prof. Innocent Ogwude.
Chairman of Council and President of CIOTA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh and the National Secretary, Chinda Evans Ogbuji, jointly signed a resolution at an emergency meeting of the NEC noting that the decision was taken in line with the provisions of paragraph 6, subparagraph 3 of the first schedule of the Establishment Act of CIOTA signed into law in 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The committee said the decision was to save the electoral process and restated its commitment to having transparent and credible elections and handover to the next administration.
Jamoh said the NEC was under oath to serve the institute selflessly, adding: “We had to take this decision to save the electoral process. NEC has received several complaints about the process such as the Ad-Hoc Electoral Committee levying interested members for expression of interest forms without the NEC’s approval, non-publication of all vacant elective positions, and restriction of collection.

The Ad-Hoc committee also ensured that the submission of nomination forms lasted for just one week instead of the five weeks to the election date as stipulated in the CIOTA Act, non-adherence to eligibility criteria as contained in the Institute’s Act and lack of transparency and fairness in the entire process amongst other allegations.”
Speaking further, he said: “We shall not condone any act by anybody or group of persons to bring the Institute to disrepute. The Electoral Committee should not allow itself to be coerced into taking actions that will set bad precedence that will injure the reputation of CIOTA. I am glad about the level of interest in the CIOTA electoral process. It’s a testament to the enviable standards we have taken the Institute to.
“We are committed to ensuring fair play in the conduct of elections. All interested aspirants must be given equal opportunity and a level playing field. All actions leading to the elections must be in line with the CIOTA ACT 2019. CIOTA is a creation of the Law and as such must be guided by provisions of its enabling Act.  Being the Exco that masterminded the enactment of the CIOTA Act in 2019, we will not condone any action contrary to the Act and constitution of the Institute on election matters.
The Prof. Innocent Ogwude-led Electoral Panel is saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections to fill executive positions at the Annual General Meeting scheduled for the last week of November 2022
According to CIOTA Act 2019,  vacant positions at the end of 2022 subject to recommendations to the Chairman of the Council by the Electoral panel include President, Deputy President, National Secretary, Assistant National Secretary, Provost, Treasurer, National Financial Secretary, Public Relations Officer and Auditor 1, 2 and 3.

It also stipulates in section 5, sub-section 2(a) that the National President of the Institute shall be a fellow of the institute with at least five years post-registration experience, while collection and submission of nomination forms are scheduled to lapse five weeks to the elections according to the first schedule of CIOTA Act 2019.
The institute became chartered in June 2019 under the Dr. Bashir Jamoh-led executive when President Muhammadu Buhari signed the CIOTA enabling Act 2019 into law.