Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to disclose the identities of companies contracted to print ballot papers and other sensitive materials ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, through a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, also demanded explanations for reported personnel changes in key departments of the electoral commission.
He called on INEC to confirm or deny reports that Hitech, or a company associated with it, had secured a contract to produce sensitive election materials.
The former vice-president further alleged that more than half of the commission's sensitive election materials, including presidential ballot materials, might 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 might be handling the printing of election materials for only 15 to 17 states, with private contractors responsible for the remainder.
Atiku urged INEC to publish the names of all companies engaged, the materials and states assigned to each contractor, the procurement methods adopted and the security measures governing production, storage and delivery.
He also raised concerns over reported redeployments in the commission's Electoral Operations and Voter Registry departments, calling for transparency regarding the criteria used for the appointments.
The former vice-president maintained that public disclosure of the arrangements would help strengthen confidence in the electoral process and demonstrate the commission's impartiality ahead of the polls.
He further called for greater use of qualified domestic security-printing facilities and a transparent system for tracking ballot papers, result sheets and other sensitive electoral documents from production to delivery.
INEC's response to the specific allegations was not included in the reports reviewed.
