The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has spoken on the controversy surrounding the awarding of the contract for the printing of election materials to Binani Printing Press Limited. There were concerns that the company was linked to Aishatu Dahiru Binani, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Adamawa. However, INEC confirmed that she is not listed as a director of the company.
The contract, which was worth N434 million, was awarded for printing election results sheets and security documents for the general election. INEC stated that the contract was handed out after a competitive and transparent bidding process, and due diligence was carried out to ensure that Binani Printing Press Limited is qualified to print security documents.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye confirmed in a statement that the procurement process for the contract followed an open competitive bidding process. ”Binani Printing Press Limited was one of the security printing companies that applied to print security documents for the commission. The company’s facility was inspected, and due diligence was carried out at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC),” he added.
After INEC was satisfied that the company had the necessary technical capacity, security consciousness, and expertise in printing security documents, the contract was awarded to them. However, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed was not listed as one of the directors of Binani Printing Press Limited.
INEC decided to print all the security documents for the general election in Nigeria to help Nigerian printers and assist in growing the national economy. The commission will continue to carry out due diligence in its procurement activities.