Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disclose details of contracts for printing sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 general elections, raising concerns over transparency, personnel changes and the impartiality of the electoral umpire.
Atiku specifically demanded that INEC confirm or deny reports that Hitech or any company associated with it had been awarded a contract to print ballot papers and other sensitive materials for the elections.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, the former vice-president also called for full disclosure of the companies handling election-material production, the procurement processes adopted and the security arrangements governing the exercise.
He argued that Nigerians deserved clear answers about the preparation of electoral materials, insisting that the credibility of the 2027 elections depended on public confidence in INEC’s neutrality and transparency.
Atiku also questioned recent personnel changes in some key departments of the Commission, particularly Electoral Operations and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), describing them as developments requiring urgent clarification.
He cited reports that Director Isa Magaji Gum had been redeployed from Electoral Operations to the Voter Registry Department, while Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi was appointed to head Electoral Operations. Dr Lawrence Bayode was also identified as the head of ICT.
According to Atiku, INEC should publish the criteria used for the appointments and redeployments and demonstrate that the decisions followed due process, were based on merit and were free from political interference.
“These departments are at the heart of election administration. INEC must explain these decisions, publish the criteria applied and show that every appointment and redeployment followed due process, was based on merit and was free from political interference,” he said.
He cautioned against presuming that any official was compromised because of ethnicity, background or personal associations, but maintained that concerns over reported political connections required verifiable assurances from the Commission.
On the ballot contract controversy, Atiku alleged that information available to him suggested that more than half of INEC’s sensitive election materials, including presidential ballot assets, might have been allocated to a company whose identity and credentials had not been publicly disclosed and which was believed to be based in France.
He also questioned reports that the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (NSPMC) might be printing election materials for only 15 to 17 states, with private printing companies handling the remaining assignments.
The former vice-president urged INEC to publish the names of all companies engaged, the materials and states assigned to each contractor, the procurement methods adopted, the security clearances obtained and the safeguards governing production, storage and delivery.
“These reports demand urgent and unequivocal answers. INEC must confirm or deny them and publish the names of every company engaged, the materials and states assigned to each, the procurement method, the security clearances obtained and the safeguards governing production, storage and delivery,” he said.
Atiku expressed particular concern over the possibility of Hitech or an affiliated company handling sensitive election materials, citing publicly reported business ties between the Chagoury family, which owns Hitech, and the Tinubu family.
He argued that any such contract would require close scrutiny to protect confidence in INEC’s impartiality, urging the Commission to disclose the contract’s value, scope, procurement method and security arrangements if the company had been selected.
He also called for political parties to be given a meaningful opportunity to scrutinise the process under appropriate security safeguards.
However, Atiku said INEC should issue an unequivocal statement if neither Hitech nor any company associated with it had secured the contract.
The ADC chieftain further called for greater use of qualified domestic security-printing capacity, insisting that every ballot paper, result sheet and other sensitive electoral document must be accounted for through a transparent chain of custody.
He extended his concerns to reports about the printing of higher-denomination banknotes by foreign companies, urging the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to disclose its current printing allocations and clarify the roles of NSPMC and any foreign contractors.
Atiku linked the controversy to broader concerns about the Tinubu administration, arguing that the government must not be allowed to use the electoral system to secure political advantage amid widespread economic hardship.
He warned INEC officials against any attempt to manipulate the 2027 elections, insisting that Nigerians would challenge any subversion of their votes through lawful and democratic means.
“Let there be no mistake: Nigerians will not accept a stolen election. Any attempt to rig the 2027 polls will be met with determined resistance through the ballot, lawful civic action, and every other democratic channel available to the people,” he said.
Atiku added that the ADC would closely monitor preparations for the elections and alert domestic and international observers to any alleged lack of transparency in the handling of sensitive election materials.
He maintained that INEC must demonstrate at every stage that the 2027 elections were being prepared fairly, transparently and without political interference.
COURTESY: Independent
