Atiku Raises Alarm Over INEC Staff Changes, Demands Disclosure of Companies Printing 2027 Election Materials

By Taibat Ummi Yakubu

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded an immediate explanation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over reported changes in key departments and concerns surrounding the production, printing and security of sensitive materials for the 2027 general elections.

Atiku warned that the commission must demonstrate its independence and accountability as preparations for the polls gather momentum, insisting that Nigerians deserve clear answers about the officials overseeing critical electoral operations and the companies entrusted with producing election materials.

In a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president questioned reported changes within INEC’s Electoral Operations Department. According to the statement, Director Isa Magaji Gum was redeployed 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 the commission’s Information and Communication Technology department.

Atiku argued that the departments play central roles in election administration and called on INEC to explain the reasons for the appointments and redeployments, disclose the criteria used and demonstrate that the decisions followed due process without 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. Nigerians will not accept vague assurances on matters this serious,” he said.

He, however, cautioned against assuming that any official was compromised because of ethnicity, background or personal associations. He maintained that where reported political connections or the concentration of appointments raises public concerns, the electoral commission has a responsibility to provide verifiable assurances of its neutrality.

Atiku also questioned the circumstances surrounding the reported procurement of sensitive election materials, demanding that INEC categorically confirm or deny whether Hitech or any company associated with the firm had secured a contract to print materials for the 2027 elections.

According to the statement, information available to him suggested that more than half of the commission’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. The claim was presented by Atiku’s camp and was not independently established in the statement.

He further raised concerns over reports that the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (NSPMC) might be responsible for printing materials for only 15 to 17 states, with private printing companies handling the remaining assignments.

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The former vice-president urged INEC to publish the names of all companies engaged for the exercise, the specific materials and states allocated to each firm, the procurement procedures followed and the security clearances obtained. He also demanded details of the safeguards governing the production, storage and delivery of the materials.

“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,” Atiku said.

He argued that the public should not have to depend on anonymous sources to establish which companies are producing ballot papers and other documents that could determine the outcome of elections.

Atiku also raised questions about potential conflicts of interest, alleging that awarding sensitive election-material contracts to Hitech or an associated company would undermine public confidence in INEC because of publicly reported business relationships between the Chagoury family, which owns Hitech, and the Tinubu family. He did not establish in the statement that such a contract had been awarded.

He called on the commission to make maximum use of qualified domestic security-printing capacity and ensure that every ballot paper, result sheet and other sensitive document was properly accounted for throughout the production and distribution process.

The former vice-president warned that INEC must not take public confidence in the 2027 elections for granted, insisting that any attempt to manipulate the process would be unacceptable. He said Nigerians facing economic hardship would defend their electoral rights through lawful, peaceful and democratic means.

“Nigerians who have been impoverished and pushed into extreme poverty will resist any subversion of their votes through legitimate, peaceful and democratic means,” he said.

Atiku further warned that any attempt to rig the elections would be challenged through the ballot, lawful civic action and other democratic channels available to citizens. He urged INEC officials to recognise the importance of their responsibilities and the need to remain accountable for their decisions and conduct.

He concluded by insisting that the commission must provide evidence of transparency at every stage of the preparations rather than relying on general assurances of impartiality.