2027: Atiku demands names of firms printing INEC’s ballot papers

INEC is Nigeria’s electoral commission. Its job is to organise elections and help ensure that voting materials, officials and results are handled fairly. This matters because public confidence depends on voters trusting both the process and the institution running it.

In the article, INEC’s responsibilities include managing sensitive materials such as ballots and result sheets. It also controls election-related procurement and appoints or redeploys officials in key departments. Atiku asked it to explain changes involving Electoral Operations, Voter Registry and Information and Communication Technology.

The current dispute focuses on the 2027 elections. Atiku wants INEC to publish contractors, allocations, procurement methods and security arrangements. He also wants the commission to show that appointments followed due process and were free from political interference. These disclosures, he argues, would help INEC demonstrate impartiality before voting begins.

The article presents the printing arrangements as unresolved. It identifies the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc as a domestic printer, while saying private companies may be producing other sensitive materials. Hitech is mentioned because Atiku asked INEC to confirm or deny whether it, or an associated company, won a contract.

Reports also suggested that more than half of the materials, including presidential ballot assets, might have gone to an undisclosed company believed to be based in France. The article does not name that company or confirm that the allegation is true. It also does not establish that Hitech received a contract.

Atiku wants INEC to disclose the contractors, their allocations, the procurement methods and the security arrangements. He also urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to reveal its banknote-printing allocations and the roles of domestic and foreign contractors.

The article does not provide an exact percentage, but it reports that more than half of the sensitive election materials might have been allocated to private contractors. That would include presidential ballot assets, according to the allegation raised by Atiku. The claim remains presented as a matter INEC must clarify.

A separate report said the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc was printing materials for only 15 to 17 states. This would leave private firms responsible for the remaining states and materials. The article does not identify all those private firms or state precisely how allocations were divided.

Atiku wants INEC to publish the contractors and their allocations. He also called for maximum use of domestic security-printing capacity. The immediate issue is therefore both scale and transparency: Nigerians need to know who is printing which materials and under what safeguards.

Ballots and result sheets are the physical links between votes and declared outcomes. If voters do not know who produced them, how contracts were awarded or what protections were used, they may doubt whether materials were impartial, authentic and securely controlled. Credibility depends on verifiable procedures, not unnamed sources.

The article gives a concrete concern: more than half of sensitive materials, including presidential ballot assets, might have gone to an undisclosed company believed to be based in France. It also questions whether Hitech received a contract and whether private firms handled materials for most states. These uncertainties make oversight harder.

Atiku therefore demanded disclosure of contractors, allocations, procurement methods and security arrangements. He urged INEC to protect every ballot and result sheet through a transparent chain of custody. Clear records would help observers and the public check responsibility at each stage.

A chain of custody is a continuous, documented record showing how ballots and result sheets move from printing to storage, delivery, polling and counting. It identifies responsible people, locations and transfers. This matters because election materials must remain traceable and protected throughout the process.

For example, records could show which contractor produced a batch, when it entered storage, who transported it and which polling location received it. Officials would compare quantities and identifiers at each handover. Missing packages, unexplained changes or broken seals would then create an evidence-based warning rather than relying only on rumours.

The article calls for every ballot and result sheet to have a transparent chain of custody. It does not describe a specific tracking system or procedure. Its forward implication is clear: INEC should publish enough information and maintain enough controls for observers to verify that materials were not altered, diverted or misused.

Political neutrality requires election decisions to appear independent as well as lawful. If a contractor’s owners are publicly linked to political leaders, citizens may suspect that access or influence shaped a contract. That perception can weaken trust even when no wrongdoing has been proven.

Atiku connected this concern to Hitech. He cited publicly reported business ties between the Chagoury family, which owns Hitech, and the Tinubu family. He also referred to controversy around Hitech contracts under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.

The article does not establish that Hitech received an election-materials contract or that any wrongdoing occurred. Atiku therefore asked INEC to confirm or deny the company’s involvement and disclose its procurement process. Clear criteria, open allocations and verifiable safeguards could help separate legitimate contracting from perceived political influence.

A legitimate election is a chain of connected safeguards. Secure ballots protect the act of voting. Impartial officials apply the rules fairly. Transparent procurement shows who supplied materials and why. Verified counting demonstrates that recorded results match the votes cast. If one link fails, confidence in the whole process can suffer.

The article connects these links through specific concerns. INEC faces questions about Electoral Operations appointments, private printing, possible Hitech involvement and materials reportedly allocated to an undisclosed company. Atiku also called for a transparent chain of custody covering every ballot and result sheet. These controls create records that observers can examine.

For the 2027 election, Atiku wants INEC to prove its impartiality through verifiable disclosures. He said the ADC would monitor preparations and alert domestic and international observers to failures of transparency. The stated goal is an election whose procedures allow votes to become accepted political authority.