DDC Machine: INEC Did Not Compromise On Contract Award - CRCN

LAGOS, August 22, (THEWILL) - Computer Registration Council of Nigeria (CRCN) has defended Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over allegation of spurious contract awards to computer companies for the proposed acquisition of the Direct Data Capturing machines, which will be used for the voters registration exercise.

The council issued a statement countering an allegation credited to the ACN National Publicity Secretary; Alhaji Lai Mohammed that INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega used compromised or incompetent contractors for the forthcoming registration of voters ahead of the 2011 general elections. According to the council, there was the need for him to start on a clean slate.

In a statement signed by Director of Membership and Examinations, Mr. Ibrahim Ishaq, the council said INEC had not awarded any spurious contracts to computer companies for the proposed acquisition of the Direct Data Capturing machines, which will be used for the voters registration exercise.

It said instead the list compiled contained names of contractors who allegedly messed up the 2007 registration and helped ruin what could have been landmark elections, under the watch of the disgraced former INEC leadership.

It added that some of the listed companies were bona fide registered IT organizations, saying; "I wish to confirm that Dimension Data, Zinox and Joint Komputer Kompany are bona fide members of CPN.

"Investigations by the council revealed that some of the companies named had been in the ICT business for long and had achieved a high level of credibility over the years, in addition to possessing a track record of deploying IT solutions with their respective foreign partners such as Oracle, Microsoft, HP, NetApp, among others".

The council thus challenged the ACN to produce detailed facts on the companies involved in the alleged contract scam, adding that it would save the reputation of the companies from what he called wild and unsubstantiated allegations.

It also said companies that lost out of INEC contracts may have instigated the onslaught on the shortlisted companies.