Buhari replies Atiku: I did not award election materials contract to APC member
President Muhammadu Buhari has denied allegations of awarding contract for the production of election materials for the February 23, 2019, presidential election to a member of the APC.
The PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in one of the grounds of their petition to the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, claimed that the election was marred by corrupt practices, one of which was the award of contract for the printing of Permanent Voters Card (PVCs)
to a company known as Activate Technology Limited, owned by Alhaji Mohammed Musa, a senatorial candidate of the APC in Niger State.
But in a reply through his team of lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the president stated that Alhaji Mohammed was not a member of the APC, adding that no contract was awarded to him, and that, “Activate Technologies Limited referred to in paragraph 356 of the petition is not the same person as Alhaji Mohammed Musa.”
The president further submitted that the company was awarded the contract in 2011 and not in the “run-up to the presidential election of 23 February, 2019” as wrongly alleged by the petitioners.
“The production of voters’ cards by Activate Technologies Ltd. could not and did not affect the election of 23rd February, 2019, in any manner, as voters cards are produced according to the number and data of registered voters, and only one voters’ card is issued to a single registered voter upon confirmation of the identity of the voter,” he stated.
The president also maintained that contrary to claims by the PDP, he had no blood relationship with the National Collation Officer of INEC, Mrs. Amina Zakari.