Former vice‑president and [African Democratic Congress (ADC)](https://adcng.org/) presidential hopeful [Atiku Abubakar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atiku_Abubakar) has called on the [Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)](https://www.inecnigeria.org/) to disclose the identities of the companies tasked with printing sensitive materials for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, warning that secrecy could erode public confidence.
Atiku warned that withholding contract details and the selection process for printers could undermine trust in the upcoming poll.
He highlighted recent personnel shifts at INEC, noting that Director Isa Magaji Gum was transferred from the Electoral Operations Department to the Voter Registry Department, while Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi‑Showunmi was named head of Electoral Operations and Dr Lawrence Bayode was appointed chief of Information and Communication Technology.
The ADC candidate also asked INEC to confirm or deny media reports that Hitech—or a company associated with it—has been awarded a contract covering more than half of the sensitive election materials, including presidential ballots, and that the contract may involve a French‑based firm.
According to the same reports, the state‑owned Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (NSPM) would handle materials for only 15 to 17 states, with private firms responsible for the remainder.
‘Nigerians should not have to depend on unnamed sources to discover who is producing their ballots,’ Atiku said.
He urged INEC to publish the names of all contractors, the allocation of contracts, the procurement procedures used and the security measures in place.
Atiku further warned that any award to Hitech or its affiliates would raise doubts about the commission’s impartiality, pointing to known business links between the Chagoury family—owners of Hitech—and President Bola Tinubu’s family, as well as previous controversies over Hitech’s involvement in the Lagos‑Calabar Coastal Highway project.
Nevertheless, he said INEC should provide a clear response if neither Hitech nor any related company has been selected for the printing work.
The former vice‑president also called on the [Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)](https://www.cbn.gov.ng/) to disclose its own banknote‑printing allocations and clarify the role of local versus foreign contractors.
He concluded by urging INEC to maximise the capacity of domestic security‑printing firms and to ensure that all ballot papers and result sheets are securely managed throughout the electoral process, adding that any attempt to manipulate the 2027 elections would be met with lawful civic action.