Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to provide explanations on contracts for printing sensitive election materials and recent staff postings ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Atiku urged the commission to disclose the identities of companies engaged to produce ballot papers and other sensitive materials, the procurement procedures adopted and the security arrangements governing their production, storage and delivery.

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

He alleged that more than half of the commission’s sensitive election materials, including presidential ballot materials, might have been allocated to an unidentified company believed to be based in France.

Atiku also questioned reports that the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc might be printing materials for only 15 to 17 states, with private companies handling the remainder.

He called for the publication of the names of all contractors, the materials and states assigned to them, the procurement methods used and the security clearances obtained.

The former vice-president argued that transparency was necessary to protect the credibility of the electoral process and prevent suspicions of political interference. He also called for greater use of qualified domestic security-printing capacity and urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to disclose its arrangements for printing higher-denomination banknotes.

Atiku further questioned recent personnel changes in INEC departments responsible for election administration and technology. He cited the reported transfer of Isa Magaji Gum from Electoral Operations to the Voter Registry Department, the appointment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi to head Electoral Operations and the appointment of Dr Lawrence Bayode as head of Information and Communication Technology.

He asked the commission to explain the changes and demonstrate that appointments and redeployments were based on merit and due process.

Separately, the ADC raised concerns over alleged ethnic bias in recent staff postings, claiming that some officers from northern states serving in sensitive departments had been moved and replaced by officials from Lagos and other South-West states.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said it had received complaints about the changes and urged INEC to clarify the circumstances surrounding the redeployments.

The party did not provide the names of the affected officers or documentary evidence to substantiate the allegations in its statement. It also said it was not yet accusing the commission of deliberate wrongdoing but maintained that the concerns required an evidence-based response.

The ADC called on INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to publish details of the postings, the criteria used to select officers and the reasons for the changes.

It warned that failure to address the allegations could weaken public confidence in the commission’s impartiality ahead of the elections.

INEC has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.