TrackNews Online | Investigative Desk
Ogun State Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Olatokunbo Joseph Talabi, remains identified as president of Superflux Group, a security printing company that says it produced electoral materials for Nigeria’s 2011, 2015 and 2019 general elections, while British Virgin Islands (BVI) court records show that he initiated proceedings to restore a dissolved offshore company in November 2025.
Documents relating to the company’s ownership, Talabi’s government appointment and the offshore court proceedings raise questions about potential conflicts of interest, the disclosure of business interests by public officials and transparency in the procurement of sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The investigation draws on Ogun State Government appointment records, Superflux’s corporate publications, the United Kingdom’s Register of Overseas Entities and court documents reportedly filed in the British Virgin Islands.
However, the available records do not establish that Superflux has been selected to print ballot papers for the 2027 elections, nor do they independently establish whether Talabi violated any applicable law.
FROM SECURITY PRINTING TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE
On June 15, 2019, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun appointed Talabi as Secretary to the State Government.
An announcement carried by the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation identified Talabi as the former Chief Executive Officer of Superflux International Limited, describing the company as a market leader in security printing.
Talabi was reappointed following Abiodun’s re-election in 2023 and remains in office as of October 2026.
Before his appointment, Talabi’s professional career included banking and executive leadership at Superflux, a company involved in security printing and the production of sensitive documents.
The connection between his former company and his subsequent public office has attracted renewed attention as preparations for the 2027 general elections approach.
SUPERFLUX’S ELECTORAL PRINTING RECORD
Superflux International Limited identifies electoral materials as part of its business and capabilities.
On its website, the company states that it has the experience and capacity to produce ballot papers, result sheets, certificates of return and other electoral materials.
It also claims to have produced electoral materials for Nigeria’s general elections in 2011, 2015 and 2019, alongside state and local government elections.
The company further describes its services as including high-security ballot papers featuring serial numbering and encrypted barcode verification.
These statements constitute the company’s own account of its electoral printing history. Independent confirmation from the relevant electoral authorities would be necessary to establish the precise scope of its contracts and the materials supplied for each election.
TALABI REMAINS SUPERFLUX GROUP PRESIDENT
Questions about the relationship between Talabi and the company arise from Superflux’s own corporate announcements.
In a statement dated July 16, 2020, Superflux announced the appointment of Gabriel Okonkwo as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
The announcement also stated: “Mr. Tokunbo Talabi remains the President of Superflux Group.”
The company’s published team information also lists Aderinola Talabi and Wonuola Talabi on its board.
The records therefore indicate that, although Talabi left the company’s chief executive position for government in 2019, Superflux continued to identify him as its group president in a subsequent corporate announcement.
The available information does not, however, establish the precise extent of his current operational involvement in the company’s day-to-day business.
SUPERFLUX POSITIONS ITSELF FOR THE 2027 ELECTION CYCLE
On January 19, 2026, Superflux Managing Director Gabriel Okonkwo published an article on the company’s website arguing that public institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), should procure their ballot papers and other relevant materials from certified domestic security printers and converters under Executive Order 003.
The position places domestic security printing companies at the centre of the debate over local procurement and the production of sensitive public documents.
Given Superflux’s stated electoral printing history and Talabi’s continuing identification as president of the group, the company’s corporate relationship with the serving Ogun State SSG raises questions that merit transparent clarification.
However, no evidence presented in the records reviewed for this report establishes that INEC has awarded Superflux a contract to print ballot papers for the 2027 general elections.
OFFSHORE COMPANY LINKED TO TALABI AND HIS FAMILY
A separate strand of the investigation concerns Gardenia Development Ltd, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands on January 26, 2011.
According to the records described in the investigation, the company bears business number 1628936 and was registered at Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola.
The United Kingdom’s Register of Overseas Entities reportedly records Gardenia Development Ltd under entry OE017183, registered on January 24, 2023.
The register identifies Olatokunbo Joseph Talabi, born in June 1962, and Aderinola Oyindamola Talabi, born in March 1967, as beneficial owners from the company’s incorporation in January 2011.
The reported records also identify 3 Vori Close, Ikeja, Lagos, as the correspondence address associated with the company. The investigation describes this as the head office address of Superflux International Limited.
The ownership information raises questions about the nature of Talabi’s interest in the offshore company and whether the interest was appropriately disclosed during his public service.
However, beneficial ownership of a foreign company does not, by itself, establish unlawful conduct. Any assessment must consider the applicable legal requirements, the nature of the interest and the relevant disclosures made to the appropriate authorities.
DISSOLVED COMPANY AND 2025 BVI COURT PROCEEDINGS
The investigation states that Gardenia Development Ltd was dissolved on November 2, 2022.
Three years later, on November 14, 2025, Talabi reportedly filed a fixed-date claim at the Commercial Division of the High Court of the British Virgin Islands.
The case is identified as BVIHCOM2025/0487, with the Registrar of Corporate Affairs named as the defendant.
According to the reported court documents, Talabi sought relief under Section 218 of the BVI Business Companies Act, including an order declaring the company’s dissolution void and restoring it to the register.
The claim also reportedly sought the return of any company property that remained undisposed of following dissolution and had vested in the Crown.
The documents described in the investigation indicate that Talabi signed a certificate of truth in his own name as a former director of the company.
If confirmed by the complete court file, the proceedings would establish that Talabi personally initiated legal action seeking to restore the dissolved offshore entity and recover any qualifying property.
The available information does not establish whether the court granted the application, whether the company was subsequently restored or whether any property was ultimately returned.
QUESTIONS OVER PUBLIC OFFICERS’ BUSINESS INTERESTS
The offshore proceedings raise questions about the constitutional rules governing the private business interests of public officers in Nigeria.
Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution contains a Code of Conduct for public officers. Paragraph 2 generally prohibits a public officer from engaging or participating in the management or running of a private business, profession or trade, subject to specified exceptions.
Paragraph 11 also requires public officers to declare their assets and liabilities to the Code of Conduct Bureau at the beginning and end of their tenure and at prescribed intervals during their service.
The scope of these provisions, and their application to a particular foreign company or beneficial ownership arrangement, would depend on the specific facts and applicable law.
The reported ownership records identify Talabi as a beneficial owner of Gardenia Development Ltd, with powers that reportedly include the right to appoint and remove directors.
The November 2025 court proceedings also reportedly identify him as the person seeking to restore the company.
These records raise questions about whether the interest was declared as required, whether the nature of his involvement was consistent with the constitutional restrictions applicable to his office and whether the relevant authorities have examined the matter.
The records presented for this report do not establish whether Talabi declared the company to the Code of Conduct Bureau or whether the Bureau has investigated his interest. Such conclusions would require examination of the relevant declaration records and any official findings.
TRANSPARENCY QUESTIONS AHEAD OF 2027
The case brings together three issues of public interest: Talabi’s position as a senior government appointee, his continuing identification with a security printing group that claims a history of producing Nigerian electoral materials, and his reported efforts to restore a dissolved offshore company.
Each issue requires examination on its own merits.
Superflux’s corporate history does not establish that the company will print ballot papers for the 2027 elections. Likewise, Talabi’s reported beneficial ownership of Gardenia Development Ltd does not automatically establish a breach of the Code of Conduct.
Nevertheless, the combination of these records raises legitimate questions about potential conflicts of interest, disclosure obligations and the transparency expected of public officials.
Clarification from Talabi, the Ogun State Government, Superflux International Limited, INEC and the Code of Conduct Bureau would help establish the relevant facts.
TRACKNEWS ONLINE SEEKS ANSWERS
TrackNews Online considers the following issues central to the matter:
Whether Talabi’s beneficial ownership and reported control of Gardenia Development Ltd were declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau during his tenure as SSG.
Whether his reported role in the November 2025 proceedings is consistent with the constitutional rules governing public officers’ participation in private business.
Whether Talabi continues to exercise any management or control functions at Superflux Group beyond the title of president.
Whether INEC has awarded or intends to award Superflux any contracts relating to the 2027 general elections.
Whether the British Virgin Islands court granted the application to restore Gardenia Development Ltd and what became of any assets associated with the company.
The answers would help distinguish documented corporate relationships from allegations of wrongdoing and clarify the implications for public accountability.
TrackNews Online will publish any substantive response from Talabi, the Ogun State Government, Superflux International Limited, INEC or the relevant regulatory authorities.
