Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disclose the companies printing sensitive materials for the 2027 general election. He warned that secret contracts and recent staff redeployments at the commission could erode public confidence in the polls.
In a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on behalf of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said Nigerians should not go into a decisive election without knowing who is producing their ballots, how the contracts were awarded and what safeguards exist against political interference.
He demanded explanations for reported changes in INEC’s Electoral Operations Department, as well as claims that a large share of sensitive election materials had been handed to private contractors.
According to reports, Director Isa Magaji Gum was moved from Electoral Operations to the Voter Registry Department. Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi was appointed to head Electoral Operations, while Dr Lawrence Bayode was named head of Information and Communication Technology.
“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,” Atiku said.
He also asked INEC to confirm or deny whether Hitech, or any company linked to it, has won a contract to print sensitive election materials.
Atiku alleged that more than half of the materials, including presidential ballot assets, may have been allocated to an undisclosed company believed to be based in France. He also questioned reports that the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (NSPM) is printing materials for only 15 to 17 states, leaving private firms to handle the rest.
“Nigerians should not have to depend on unnamed sources to discover who is producing their ballots,” he said, calling for full disclosure of contractors, allocations, procurement methods and security arrangements.
The former vice-president argued that any contract awarded to Hitech or an affiliate would raise questions about INEC’s neutrality, citing publicly reported business ties between the Chagoury family, which owns Hitech, and the Tinubu family. He also referred to controversy over Hitech contracts under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.
“If neither Hitech nor a company associated with it has been selected, INEC must say so clearly and put the matter beyond doubt,” he said.
Atiku urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to disclose its banknote-printing allocations and explain the roles of local and foreign contractors. He also called on INEC to make maximum use of domestic security-printing capacity and ensure that every ballot and result sheet is covered by a transparent chain of custody.
Warning that Nigerians weighed down by economic hardship would resist any attempt to subvert their votes, Atiku said the 2027 election must not be used to prolong the Tinubu administration’s hold on power.
“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.
He added that the ADC would monitor INEC’s preparations and alert domestic and international observers to any lack of transparency, insisting that the commission must prove its impartiality through verifiable disclosures.
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