Atiku, ADC Demand INEC Disclosure on Ballot Printers, Question Election Staff Transfers

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explain its arrangements for printing sensitive election materials and clarify recent personnel changes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

While Atiku is seeking disclosure of companies reportedly engaged to produce ballot papers and other sensitive materials, the ADC has raised concerns over alleged ethnic and regional patterns in the redeployment of officials serving in critical departments.

The concerns come ahead of the elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly polls, and February 6, 2027, for governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku asked INEC to confirm or deny reports that Hitech or a company associated with it had won a contract to print sensitive materials for the elections.

Atiku said information available to him suggested that more than half of the commission’s sensitive election materials, including presidential ballot materials, might have been allocated to a company believed to be based in France.

He expressed concern that the identity and credentials of the alleged contractor had not been publicly disclosed.

He also questioned reports that the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (NSPMC) might print election materials for only 15 to 17 states, leaving private companies to handle production for the remaining states.

“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,” he said.

The former vice-president argued that the alleged arrangements required public scrutiny, warning that a lack of transparency could deepen concerns about the independence of electoral institutions under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Atiku also raised questions about the possibility of Hitech or an affiliated company receiving the contract, pointing to publicly reported business connections 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.

He urged INEC to identify all companies engaged to print election materials, particularly if production was being outsourced beyond NSPMC.

Atiku further advocated greater use of qualified domestic security-printing facilities, insisting that ballot papers, result sheets and other sensitive documents must be covered by transparent accountability measures from production through storage and delivery.

His concerns extended to the printing of higher-denomination banknotes overseas. He called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to disclose its current printing arrangements and clarify the respective responsibilities of NSPMC and any foreign contractors.

The former vice-president also called for explanations over recent personnel changes in departments central to election administration and technology.

The statement cited reports that Isa Magaji Gum had been transferred from Electoral Operations to the Voter Registry Department, while Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi had been appointed to head Electoral Operations. Dr Lawrence Bayode was also identified as the head of Information and Communication Technology.

Atiku said the commission should explain the basis for the changes and demonstrate that the decisions complied with established procedures and were not influenced by political considerations.

“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. Nigerians will not accept vague assurances on matters this serious,” he said.

He cautioned, however, against assuming that any official was compromised because of ethnicity, background or personal associations. Instead, he maintained that INEC should address concerns through verifiable information and transparent explanations.

ADC alleges regional imbalance in staff postings

Separately, the ADC alleged that some officials from northern states working in sensitive INEC departments, including Electoral Operations and Information and Communication Technology, had been transferred to other units and replaced by officers from Lagos and other South-West states.

In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said it had received intelligence reports and direct complaints concerning the alleged changes.

The ADC warned that the reported pattern could raise questions about the commission’s neutrality if the circumstances were not adequately explained.

However, the party did not identify the affected officers or provide documentary evidence to substantiate the allegations 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 statement read.

The party said it was not accusing INEC of an improper motive at this stage but argued that allegations capable of affecting public confidence in the electoral process warranted a substantive response.

“Regardless of the commission’s motives, questions about regional concentration in sensitive departments cannot be brushed aside as routine administrative matters,” the party said.

It further warned that any personnel arrangement perceived as favouring a particular ethnic or regional group in strategic operational positions could fuel suspicions that the electoral process was being tilted in favour of Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The ADC called on INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), to publish details of the recent postings, explain the criteria used to select officials for the affected positions and state the reasons for the changes.

According to the party, making the information public would help reassure Nigerians that electoral officials would discharge their responsibilities impartially, regardless of their ethnic, linguistic or regional backgrounds.

“Allowing such allegations to go without a serious, evidence-based rebuttal could have serious implications for the integrity of the elections,” it said.

The demands by Atiku and the ADC have brought questions about electoral procurement, institutional independence and staff deployment into focus as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.