Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to disclose the companies contracted to print sensitive materials for the 2027 general elections.
Atiku said Nigerians deserve to know who is producing ballot papers and other sensitive election documents.
The concerns were contained in a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Presidential Campaign Council.
Atiku asked INEC to confirm or deny reports that Hitech or a company linked to it had secured a contract to print sensitive materials, and to disclose all firms involved in printing presidential ballots and other documents.
According to the statement, information available to him suggested that more than half of INEC’s sensitive materials might have been assigned to a company believed to be based in France, whose identity had not been made public.
He also questioned the reported role of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc, NSPMC, which he said may be handling only 15 to 17 states, while private firms handle the rest.
“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.
“Nigerians should not have to depend on unnamed sources to discover who is producing their ballots,” Atiku said.
He said any contract involving Hitech or an associated firm would require clear explanation, citing publicly reported business links between the Chagoury family, which owns Hitech, and the Tinubu family.
“The integrity of INEC in the forthcoming election will be seriously compromised if Hitech or a company associated with it is awarded a contract to produce sensitive election materials,” he said.
Atiku also urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to disclose its current arrangements for printing higher-denomination banknotes and clarify the roles of NSPMC and any foreign contractors.
He further questioned recent staff redeployments in INEC, including postings in Electoral Operations, Voter Registry and Information and Communication Technology departments.
The statement cited reports that Isa Magaji Gum was moved from Electoral Operations to the Voter Registry Department, while Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi was appointed to head Electoral Operations, and Dr Lawrence Bayode heads ICT.
“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.
Atiku, however, cautioned against assuming any official was compromised on grounds of ethnicity or background, saying INEC should address concerns with evidence.
In a separate statement on Sunday, the ADC, through its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, raised similar concerns, alleging that officers from northern states in sensitive departments were transferred and replaced with officials from Lagos and other South-West states.
The party said it had received intelligence and complaints about the transfers but did not provide names or documents in the statement.
“We have specific names of officers moved from Electoral Operations and ICT in a number of northern states and replaced with officers from Lagos and other South-West states. INEC may dismiss this as routine. But we have noticed a pattern, especially along ethnic lines, and we are concerned,” the party said.
The ADC said it was not accusing INEC of an ulterior motive but warned that failure to explain the postings could create suspicion.
“Regardless of the commission’s motives, questions about regional concentration in sensitive departments cannot be brushed aside as routine administrative matters,” it said.
It called on INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to publish details of the recent postings and explain the criteria and reasons for the changes.