Atiku, Iwu: Still At Each Other’s Throats

By Olusola Sanni

Iwu and Atiku

The former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC), Alhaji
Atiku Abubakar, and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu, are at each other’s throats again. Shortly before the 2007 general election, the two men were at each other’s throats over the preparation of the INEC for the election.

Eight months after the conduct of the presidential election, that battle is yet to subside. The bone of contention still remains the conduct of the election as being challenged by Abubakar before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

The issue at stake centres round a simple question Abubakar asked Iwu: “Did you award a fresh contract for printing of ballot papers for the presidential election, less than five days to the date of election?”

In the course of cross-examination at the presidential election petition tribunal, Abubakar and his party requested to ask Iwu 27 questions concerning the election. The thrust of the question was in the main to find out from Iwu if the electoral commission awarded a contract to a South African company in view of Abubakar’s last minute clearance by the Supreme Court to participate in the presidential election.

But much as it is not known what the AC presidential candidate wanted to establish with that question, the response from Iwu certainly stunned Abubakar and many Nigerians. The reason is not far-fetched: INEC on October 2007 presented an official report of the 2007 election. Iwu had during the presentation of the report inferred that the commission responded to the order of the Supreme Court to include Abubabar on the list of presidential candidates, with an impromptu printing of 65 million fresh ballot papers from South Africa.

So, when on Tuesday Iwu said that the contract for the printing of the ballot papers was given to the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company, a lot of people were taken aback. Iwu, many said, contradicted himself on the issue and was even alleged by a national newspaper to have lied under oath. But neither the commission nor the chairman will agree that the commission is contradicting itself.

A highly placed source in INEC, during the week, in reaction to the newspaper report that its chairman lied under oath in respect of the printing of ballot papers used for the presidential election, said that the commission stood by its words that the contract for the ballot papers were produced by the NSPMC.

The source said, “For the avoidance of doubt, INEC gave the handling of the ballot papers to the Nigeria Security, Printing and Minting Company, NSPMC. The INEC Chairman has said this over and over again and has never shifted his position because that is the truth.

On the needless confusion being created by some persons that Iwu said the ballot papers were being printed in South Africa, which in their own warped estimation and reasoning amounts to INEC physically going to South Africa to engage in the printing of the ballot papers, smacks of nothing more than crass ignorance and, if not, then a total disregard for sincerity.”

In October last year, while presenting what he called the official reports of the 2007 general election, Iwu had said, “The Commission was compelled to print a new set of ballot papers for the presidential election, which arrived in Nigeria only hours to the commencement of the polls and had to be distributed to the more than 120,000 polling units located in 8,800 wards of the country, some of them located in extremely difficult terrains.”

“There is also the story of how the Commission printed fresh 65 million ballot papers for the presidential election within three days following the ruling of the Supreme Court. This Report cannot contain full detail of the drama experienced in solving that logistics nightmare.

“There was for instance, the story of the aircraft that was chartered in Nigeria to convey the ballot papers back from the printers in South Africa. The aircraft dutifully traveled to South Africa; and having landed there, simply parked at the airport and refused to convey back its prized cargo. The reason for the strange conduct of the airline pilot may not be far from the all-engrossing politics of the 2007 elections.

“The ruling of the courts especially that of the Supreme Court, which was delivered on 16th April 2007, five days to the election put enormous strain on the logistic resources of the Commission. Additional ballot papers had to be printed for the Presidential Election. This proved to be a daunting task, given the proximity to the polls date.

“However, the Commission prevailed in printing and freighting the ballot papers to Nigeria on Friday 20 April 2007, i.e. the eve of the election. In fact, the last cargo that brought ballot papers touched down at Lagos Airport at 10.00pm, 20 April 2007, the eve of the election.

“The former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, gave the Commission every support in this connection. At a very short notice, the President approved additional money to print fresh set of ballot papers for the Presidential Elections when the Supreme Court gave its ruling few days to Election Day. He followed this up by providing Presidential Jet for relevant officials of the Commission to travel to South Africa to negotiate for the immediate printing of the ballot papers. He also put at the disposal of the Commission institutional support, including security agencies, especially the Nigerian Air Force and the Navy to ensure distribution of the ballot papers on the eve of the elections.”

But sources at the commission told Saturday Tribune that INEC could not be deemed to have printed the ballot papers since the contract was actually awarded to NSPMC. One of the sources said that what INEC did was only to pay attention to the details of the printing contract the NSPMC awarded to the South African company. The source said that if not for the intervention of the commission through the Presidency, it was possible for the minting company to have failed to deliver the ballot papers.

The AC, however, appears to be waiting for the case at the Supreme Court to resume hearing on the issue. A chieftain of the party said the AC was ready to also pose questions to the NSPMC on the issue. The source, a former minister, said that the party was not shocked by Iwu’s answers as it had also prepared questions for the NSPMC even before Iwu’s reply came in.

The source said that the party already had the documents used for the contract with the South African firm and would present it once the hearing resumes. The source was emphatic that it would be impossible for INEC to defend the fact that it was not fully involved in the contract for the printing of the ballot papers.

The party intends to use the documents alongside the numerous publications and broadcast materials in which Iwu was quoted and featured.