The organisation accused them of printing excess ballot papers and manipulating the March 18 governorship election in the state in favour of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and others, demanding an investigation and prosecution of the current Secretary to Ogun State Government (SSG), Tokunbo Talabi, and his security printing company, Superflux.
The organisation accused them of printing excess ballot papers and manipulating the March 18 governorship election in the state in favour of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Other anti-graft agencies petitioned are the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
HURIWA in the petition filed through its lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), alleged that Talabi printed ballot papers for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be used during the election, using his company, Superflux as the vehicle.
The group said that there was much movement of ballot papers during the governorship election in Ogun state and that it was generally believed that while Superflux was printing the original ballot papers for the INEC contract, “it also allegedly printed extra ballot papers which were later used to undermine the said Ogun State governorship election in favour of Dapo Abiodun, the sitting Governor”.
HURIWA further said that the discrepancies formed part of the ongoing challenge to the governorship outcome before the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the state capital.
The organisation said in its petition: “There are many cases of multiple ballot papers with the same serial numbers; whilst there are ballot papers whose serial numbers are at variance with what were deployed in the said Ogun State for the Governorship election. These were also said to have accounted for over-voting in many polling units, with alleged ballot box stuffings as the order of the day.
“Many of those ballot papers were believed by our client to have emanated from Tokunbo Talabi’s Superflux company.”
The group alleged that on August 19, 2020, INEC paid the sum of N47,449,290.90 four times into the Superflux Access Bank account, Victoria Island branch and that the money was allegedly transferred from CBN’s INEC electoral account with the description: NFT/CBN/BO/INEC Electoral Account/ M2867/PMT 4 SS Ballot P.
HURIWA further said that on June 23, 2020, INEC credited another Superflux’s corporate account with Access Bank with the sum of N98,898,581.80, which was said to have been quickly moved to the first account with the same transaction description.
The group maintained that because Talabi is an interested party in the election, being the SSG to Governor Abiodun who is also an interested party as his election was being challenged, “they all compromised the Gubernatorial election with over-voting through his (Talabi) company’s printed excess ballot papers.”
HURIWA also said that “Talabi’s BVN is still attached to the accounts till date; and so cannot claim any prior detachment or resignation from the ownership and Directorship of the said Superflux company that printed the ballot papers.”
According to HURIWA, barely three months into Governor Abiodun’s administration in 2019, precisely on August 11, Talabi opened a Superflux International DSRA (Domiciliary account) with Access Bank, Victoria Island branch from which many transactions were located.
HURIWA, therefore, demanded immediate thorough investigation and possible prosecution of Talabi and his company, Superflux International Ltd “as all these constitute a subversion of the 1999 Constitution of Nigerian, other extant laws, our National ethos and the code of conduct that governs public officers in Nigeria.”
Credit: Sahara Reporter
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