The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has admitted that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Niger East Senatorial District, Senator Mohammed Musa is a registered contractor with the Commission.

 Yakubu made the revelation on Saturday while speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had in a statement hinted that the Managing Director of Activate Technologies Limited, Mohammed Sani Musa, whose company supplied the machines used in printing the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) was the candidate of the APC for Niger East Senatorial district in the aborted Saturday election.

In the statement, Atiku further argued that given that Musa’s previous company, Act Technologies had a contract to supply and install PVC card printers in the INEC Headquarters, it does beg the question why Musa’s new company, Activate Technologies was given a subsequent contract to print PVC cards.

“Other investigations have revealed that an employee and Director of Activate Technologies and an APC member, Mr. Mohammed Keffi was filmed at Abuja Airport Domestic Departure Lounge on December 29 opening an official INEC envelope and then handling multiple ballot forms which he was checking off against his mobile phone,” Atiku said.

Atiku added that although Sani Musa had the right to hold any public office in spite of his line of business, it was morally unjustifiable to allow a well-known supplier of sensitive INEC materials to partake in an election in which the key materials to be used for the poll were supplied by him.

Asked to make clarifications on the allegations by a former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka who stood in for PDP National Chairman at the meeting, the INEC Chairman admitted that he was aware that the said contractor was a senatorial candidate of the APC.

“Yes, I am aware. That company has been working with the Commission since 2011. I assure you that we have a strict system. No electoral officer will be compromised. The integrity of the process is protected,” he said.