Award Of Contract For Sensitive Materials Followed Due Process, Says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it carried out due diligence in the award of a contract for the printing of sensitive materials for this year’s general election.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja by its National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, the commission said available records at the Corps Affairs Commission (CAC) did not link Banani Printing Press to Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed.

Okoye was reacting to reports that INEC awarded the printing of sensitive materials to Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State.

The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a news report that the commission awarded a contract for the printing of sensitive election materials to Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed. It was alleged in the report that she owns Binani Printing Press Limited.

“Procurements in the commission go through open competitive bidding and Binani Printing Press Limited was one of the security printing companies that applied to print security documents for the Commission.

“After inspecting the company’s facility and carrying out due diligence at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Commission was satisfied that they are qualified printers with the requisite technical capacity, security consciousness and expertise in printing security documents.

“However, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed was not listed as one of the Directors of Binani Printing Press Limited.

“The commission decided to print all the security documents for the 2023 General Election in the country to help Nigerian printers and assist in growing the national economy.

“The commission will continue to carry out due diligence in its procurement activities.”