From Okwe Obi, Abuja

Ahead of the 2023 poll, taxi drivers in Abuja have endorsed the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Mubarak Tijjani.

President of Painted Abuja Taxi Nigeria Limited Shehu Yaradua expressed confidence that Tijjani would protect the interest of the union if voted into office.

He said the union would mobilise over 8000 members in its database to campaign and ensure the victory of NNPP in the FCT senatorial poll.

Yaradua decried the attitude of past and incumbent FCT senators who sought the union’s support while seeking votes and abandoned it when elected, adding that it was the reason its members defected from their various political parties.

He said the major problems facing painted taxi drivers in Abuja were double taxation where each of the six Area Councils would demand payment of the daily operational tickets, and demanded a unified daily ticket to enable members to drive freely from one Area Council to the other.

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Responding, Mubarak Tijjani assured the union of effective representation that would address all their challenges and provide an enabling environment for their business to strive. He said the issues of double taxation and restricted areas of operation would be solved if he won the senatorial seat.

The NNPP candidate also promised to ensure that all cars used for taxis in Abuja were painted including Uber and Bolt cars, and belonged to Painted Taxi Drivers Nigeria Limited under the union’s leadership.

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He urged them to obtain their NNPP membership and INEC permanent voters cards as the first step toward a new Nigeria that citizens desire and deserve. He also enjoined politicians to imbibe issues-based campaigns and eschew violence in all its ramifications which have impeded the nation’s democratic process.

Tijjani urged the electoral umpire to provide a level playing field for all the political parties and their candidates participating in the election, stating that the mandate of the electorate is sacrosanct and must be respected as power belongs to the people.

He commended the commission for introducing the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) designed to replace the Smart Card Readers for verification and authentication as part of the improved voter accreditation process and uploading of Polling Units results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on Election Day, adding that the electronic transmission of results has fostered public confidence in the electoral process.

Tijjani urged FCT residents to collect their permanent voters’ cards and come out en masse to vote for a new Nigeria that NNPP represents. He promised to attract people-oriented projects and empowerment programmes that would transform Abuja if voted into office in February 2023.