The Independent National Electoral Commission may have spent N13bn on the printing of 375 million ballot papers and result sheets for the April elections.
The contracts were awarded to six companies whose identities were revealed on Tuesday by a top INEC official.
The official, who confirmed that the contracts were awarded late February, gave the names of the contractors as Tip3, a Spanish company; Graphic Inline (Gi); Kalamazoo; Aero-vote; SanFrano, a German/Polish company; and VI Solutions.
He declined to say which of the six contractors defaulted in the delivery of the ballot papers.
THE PUNCH learnt that INEC, in anticipation of a possible runoff in the presidential election, had ordered for two sets of ballot papers.
It booked 75 million copies for the main election (presidential) and another 75 million copies for the runoff (presidential), totalling 150 million. Tip3 Company was said to have won the contract for the run-off ballot papers.
For the National Assembly polls, which was shifted from April 2 to April 9, the commission ordered 75 million ballot papers and result sheets.
It also placed an order for 150 million ballot papers and result sheets for both the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
INEC had on February 5, 2011 stated that it registered 73 million voters during the last exercise in January.
The commission’s Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had while announcing the postponement of the National Assembly elections last Saturday, cited the late delivery of the ballot papers and other materials for the polls by some of the contractors.
He also accused one of them of defaulting in the delivery of the materials.
THE PUNCH learnt that Jega had in December 2010 set up four committees to scour Germany, England, the United States, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Lithuania, South Africa, Asia and the United Arab Emirates for reliable printers.
The four committees had Prof. Jega as their overall chairman. The first committee, which Jega travelled with, visited Canada and the US.
Other members of the committee that travelled with Jega included Prof. Lai Olurode and U.F. Usman.
The second committee headed by Mr. Nuru Yakubu visited England and Ireland with four other members — Mrs. G.N. Nwafor, Dr. Oniyangi, Col. MK Hammanga and D. I. Anumba.
The third committee had Mr. Philip Umeadi, Mrs. T. Iremiren and K.N. Ukeagu as members. It visited Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Lithuania.
The last committee, which was headed by Dr. Ishmael Igbani, visited South Africa, Asia and UAE. Its members included Chief Solomon Soyebi, Mrs. Amina Yusuf and Dr. Chris Iyimoga.
Meanwhile, a marathon meeting by INEC on Tuesday to address critical issues bearing on the conduct of the rescheduled National Assembly elections on Saturday, failed to produce results.
Consequently, the commission will continue its deliberations possibly till Thursday when it will address the media on its final position.
INEC’s Director of Information and Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Imengar, told journalists who had waited all day for a news conference on the outcome of the meeting, to exercise patience and return on Thursday.
Jega had met with Resident Electoral Commissioners from the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, on Tuesday to address the grey areas that led to the botched polls on April 2.
The meeting began at 10am and lasted till 7pm and a scheduled press conference was expected at the end of it.
According to Umenger, Jega will meet with journalists on the level of INEC’s preparedness for Saturday’s polls.
He said, “I know some of you have been waiting here since morning in the hope that the chairman will address you after the meeting.
“Far reaching decisions were reached at the meeting but the commission has decided to address you on Thursday, we regret the inability of the honourable chairman to brief you today.”
Also speaking on the issue, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said issues pertaining to the smooth conduct of Saturday’s polls topped the agenda.
He explained that far reaching decision had been taken on issues of logistics such as the transport of personnel and materials for the elections.
Idowu added that the commission had not foreclosed elections in any state of the federation.
According to him, “The understanding is that there are logistical problems that are to be addressed, and if for any reason there is a decision to be taken concerning constituencies, the chairman will let you know on Thursday.
“What happened (at the meeting) was that the Commission has decided along with the Resident Electoral Commissioners that the election on Saturday will not have the kind of hitches that were observed.
“The issue of transportation, for instance, has been addressed; the issue of supply of materials has been addressed.
“And all those things will be implemented by the officers on the field those were the decisions that were taken.”
“Materials have been deployed to the states and those materials are there and they will be deployed to polling centres.”
THE PUNCH had reported exclusively on Tuesday that INEC might reschedule the April 9 polls in some senatorial districts and federal constituencies where balloting took place in the botched April 2 polls.
Although details of Jega’s meeting with the REC’s were not made public, it was gathered that the meeting did a state-by-state analysis of what happened.
It was gathered that a report from the Kaduna office indicated that “Actual voting took place in 20 out of 23 LGAs. There were (also) shortages of result sheets and voting point result sheets.”
The Sokoto State office of INEC lamented poor preparations for the botched polls. In Adamawa State, the report noted “the challenge of hiring vehicles for the elections.
Many states asked the INEC chairman to consider shifting all the elections by one week.
By Olusola Fabiyi and John Alechenu, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
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