News Rendezvous

A Story credited to saharareporters has shown that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has allegedly awarded a contract for the printing of sensitive materials to Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani’s printing firm, Binani Printing Press.

According to the contract documents obtained by SaharaReporters on Wednesday and signed by the Secretary to be the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, Binani Printing Press, owned by the Adamawa State gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aishatu Binani, was awarded N434,372,649 to print election results sheets for the 2023 general elections.

This was done despite repeated assurances by the INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu, that the integrity of the sensitive materials for the election would be ensured.

Details of the INEC contract to Binani suggests that the governorship result sheets are for Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto states..

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Binani campaign organisation, Salihu Baba Ahmed, when contacted, said, “If any contract was awarded, it is to her company, consisting of many Nigerians. And in any case, is she not eligible to be awarded contracts in this country?”

Reacting to the report of INEC awarding contract to a governorship candidate of the APC, Dr. Ardo, the candidate of the Social Democrat Party said, “We have it for a fact that her meetings with these agencies virtually directing how they should conduct their affairs. We have on record four different meetings she held especially with INEC officials. Arising from these meetings from the sketchy reports we have, she seems to be directing the postings of election officers, presiding officers and others who are directly in control of the BVAS.

“If the candidate of a political party will be given such access to the officials that conduct the election, then there is huge problem. And also more devastating is that INEC itself, six months after Sen Binani emerged as the candidate of APC, she was awarded a contract for the production of governorship results sheet. The contract is to the tune of N432m.

“Even though Adamawa is not included in the list of the states, the fact that she is producing results sheet gives her inside and access into the workings of INEC and into the production and distribution of INEC sensitive materials.

“This is a huge advantage given to her by INEC itself. The money given to her will give her a huge financial advantage over other candidates and she was given the contract six months after emerging candidate of the APC .

“We should forget talking about free and fair election in Adamawa as the election has already been compromised by INEC long before the election is conducted.”

A legal practitioner, Barr Joshua Wugira speaking on the situation said, “The position of the law is clear as to having an interest in a contract where there could be a conflict.

“There is the need for a declaration that the contractor is an interested party in the contract and the specific nature of his contract must be declared. Here, it’s reprehensible for INEC to award a contract for the printing of its sensitive materials to a person with vested interest in the election. This clearly shows how low, INEC has sunk under Yakubu and how partisan it is.”

INEC reaction to the report INEC in a statement signed by its spokesperson Mr. Festus Okoye said, it will continue to do due diligence in it’s award of its contracts. It further explained that the company did not list Ashatu Dahiru Binani on its Board of Director’s and that the met its standard for the award of the contract.

INEC has been under public’s scrutiny over its poor handling of the Feb 25th presidential and National Assembly elections and now it’s actions is drawing a lot of credibility questions on the March 18th governorship and state assembly Polls.