Group Seeks Disqualification of Adamawa APC Guber Candidate, Petitions INEC, EFCC, ICPC over Alleged Contract Breach, Demands Yakubu’s Resignation

Group Seeks Disqualification of Adamawa APC Guber Candidate, Petitions INEC, EFCC, ICPC over Alleged Contract Breach, Demands Yakubu’s Resignation.

Senator Aishatu Dahiru popularly known as Binani and APC gubernatorial candidate in Adamawa state has landed in another mess over her involvement in the contract of printing sensitive materials for the conduct of 2023 general elections in Nigeria.

The Senator is under pressure to withdraw from the Guber race as the country’s electoral umpire is also charged to disqualify her.

In a petition dated yesterday, Wednesday 16th March, 2023, the Network of Community Development Association, NCDA, condemns the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC for awarding contract for the printing of elections results sheets to a Binani who is a politician contesting election.

NCDA, a famous Yola based group, said such INEC/ Binani’s relationship is morally and legally wrong as it puts the APC candidate at an advantage of rigging the elections.

The petition which was submitted to INEC Chairman Yakubu Mahmood through Adamawa state Resident Electoral Commission, REC in Yola was signed by the state coordinator of the group, Ijafiya James with the title: PETITION AGAINST AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR THE PRINTING OF RESULT SHEETS TO A COMPANY THAT BELONG TO APC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE IN ADAMAWA STATE BY NATIONAL INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION.

The group noted that the INEC/HQ/PROC/EOPs/S.170/109 of 11th November, 2022, for the
Printing of Result Sheets for the 2023 Governorship Elections in Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano,was awarded to Binani Printing Press when the owner of the company, Aishatu Dahiru who is a serving senator representing Yola South and who has already emerged as the candidate of the APC on May 26th long ago before the date of awarding the contract.

Although, INEC in a swift statement on Thursday said the politician’s name is not on the Director’s list of Binani Printing Press.

Festus Okoye,National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee in a media statement stated that “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”

Multiple sources confirm that the Company is actually owned by Senator Aishatu Dahiru.

The details available at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC depicts Binani Printing Press Limited with Rc: 816807
Address: No 17, Atiku Abubakar Road, Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State
Date of registration: May 10, 2009
Share capital: 15m
Directors:
1. Aishatu Dahiru
2. Hauwa Dahiru

The company was awarded the contract of printing forms EC 8A, EC8B, EC BC, EC8D with a total cost of N434,372,649.77 only.

In protest members of the NCDA stormed INEC office in Yola on Wednesday to submit petition against Biinani.

They insist that the game plan is to allowed APC rig elections and therefore called for the resignation of INEC chairman and other officials involved in the award of the contract and amongst other demands an immediate qualification of the APC gubernatorial candidate, Aishatu Dahiru.