The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) says it is tracking financing of campaign by political
parties, as part of new measures to tackle vote-buying.
Wilson Uwajuren, EFCC spokesman,
said this in a statement on Friday. He said the anti-graft agency is out to
prosecute anyone involved in the practice of vote-buying.
Uwajuren said those offering
financial inducements for votes as well as those receiving such money would be
held culpable and prosecuted.
Nigeria’s elections have been
seriously marred with financial inducements, the last of such being the Ekiti
state governorship election.
Uwajuren said the commission had
mobilised its investigative resources to monitor campaign financing by
political parties in Osun.
“As part of the commission’s
proactive efforts in securing the integrity of the electoral process and
preventing the exercise from being used as avenue for money laundering, the
EFCC has already launched massive, but discreet, surveillance of the financial
flows of all the actors in the various political parties,” the statement read.
“The tracking process which is
ongoing, will continue till all the scheduled elections are concluded.”
He quoted Ibrahim Magu, acting
chairman of the commission, as saying the move is part of a collaborative
initiative that will see the EFCC join forces with other law enforcement
agencies to enforce compliance of provisions of the electoral act which
criminalises financial inducement by political parties and their candidates.
“We will be working with all
stakeholders especially from the security and intelligence community to stop
the practice of vote buying and other financial malpractices that undermine the
integrity of our elections,” Magu was quoted as saying.
“It is important to state here
that those who offer bribes for votes are as guilty as those who receive such
gratifications. My candid advice to the electorates is to be vigilant and
resist the temptation to sell their votes.
“After the widely acclaimed
peaceful transfer of power from a sitting president, who was the candidate of
the then ruling party, to the candidate of the opposition party in 2015, the
2019 general election offers Nigeria the opportunity to deepen her emerging
democratic culture that is free and participatory. We must guard this process
by shunning all forms of electoral malpractices.”
Magu said the commission would
not take any step that is not sanctioned by law, adding, however, that “no one
who collects money to rig election will be spared.”
The Nigeria police force had also
warned against the financial inducement during election, threatening to
prosecute offenders.
Earlier on Friday, Olusegun
Agbaje, resident electoral commissioner (REC) of INEC in Osun, said there would
be serious problem in 2019 if the menace of vote-buying is not tackled.
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