2027: Atiku Warns Against Rigging, Demands Accountability On Electoral Materials

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded full transparency from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over reported redeployments in key departments and the production of sensitive materials for the 2027 general elections.

In a statement on Saturday by his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said reports of changes in the Electoral Operations Department require immediate clarification from the commission.

Reports indicate that Director Isa Magaji Gum was moved from Electoral Operations to the Voter Registry Department, while Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi was appointed to head Electoral Operations. Dr Lawrence Bayode was also identified as head of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

“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 said no official should be presumed compromised because of ethnicity, background or associations, but where reported political connections raise public concern, INEC must provide verifiable assurances.

Atiku said the developments cannot be separated from what he described as the failure of the Tinubu administration and public anger over its policies.

“A government that has driven millions of Nigerians into hardship must not be allowed to turn the electoral umpire into an instrument of political survival,” he said.

Atiku also asked INEC to confirm or deny whether Hitech or any company associated with Hitech has been awarded a contract to print sensitive materials for the 2027 election.

He said information available to him indicates that more than half of INEC’s sensitive materials, including presidential ballot assets, may have been allocated to a company whose identity has not been disclosed and which is believed to be based in France. He also cited reports that the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (NSPMC) may handle printing for only 15 to 17 states, with the remainder handled by private firms.

“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,” he said.

He said any award of sensitive material contracts to Hitech or an associated company would compromise INEC’s neutrality, given reported business ties 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,” Atiku said.

He noted that the matter requires scrutiny given the controversy around major contracts awarded to Hitech under the Tinubu administration, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which the government said was awarded through a special procurement process.

“If Hitech or any company associated with it has been selected, INEC must immediately disclose the contract, its value, scope of work and procurement method,” he said, adding that if no such company was selected, INEC should state so clearly.

Atiku urged INEC to make use of domestic security-printing capacity and ensure a transparent chain of custody for ballot papers, result sheets and other sensitive documents. He also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to disclose its current printing allocations for higher-denomination banknotes and the role of NSPMC and foreign contractors.

He warned that the 2027 election cannot be business as usual, saying Nigerians will resist any attempt to subvert their votes through lawful means.

“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,” Atiku said.

He said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will monitor the process and alert domestic and international observers to any lack of transparency.

“Nigerians are entitled to demand answers about the institutions and processes that will determine their votes. INEC must not ask the public to accept assurances in place of accountability,” he said.