The independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has contracted WITNESS, a non existing firm allegedly based in United Kingdom, UK as one of the firms to handle election results this month.

Another firm, GILAT, contracted by INEC is a telecommunication firm which provides broadband solutions and satellite networks including internet, voice, and video with a 2004 poll transmission experience in Venezuela.

GILAT is an Israeli owned company with Amiram Levinberg as chairman, co-founder and Erez Entedi as the chief executive officer.

It would be recalled that INEC had awarded the same contract at N4 Billion to RELTEL, a local firm based in Nigeria and owned by Annie Okonkwo, a People’s Democratic Party Senatorial Candidate in Anambra State, East of Nigeria.

The award of the contract to the Senatorial candidate had generated a lot of controversies when it was unraveled by the media and INEC, it was learnt revoked the contract and sought for a foreign firm to handle the poll results.

However, pointblanknews.com investigations revealed that no company called WITNESS exists in UK which provides services in either transmitting of polls results or telecommunications. The same is the case of GILAT.

WITNESS has no known address, no telephone number or website in the UK. It does not exist in any capacity as capable of handling election results. The only company known as WITNESS is based in the State of Georgia, United States, according to findings.

The only entity called Witness provides legal support services to UK residence.

It was further learnt from reliable sources that WITNESS which INEC announced would collaborate with GILAT is a front for RELTEL which was originally awarded the N4 Billion contract to transmit election result.

It was gathered that in a bid to douse the already generated controversy over the N4 Billion contract to RELTEL owned by a PDP member, INEC chairman, Maurice Iwu and Annie Okonkwo, owner of RELTEL, had met and agreed to put forward another firm for the poll transmission contract. The new firm became WITNESS.

In few days to election in Nigeria, INEC announced that GILAT, in association with WITNESS will provide technological backbone in electronic transmission of results of elections.

In a statement signed by Andy Ezeani, Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, he said the UK firms have international experience and are noted for competence.