EFCC VOWS TO INVOKE ELECTORAL ACT ON VOTE BUYING

The chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa on thursday declared that he will contain the menace of vote buying using strict compliance with the Electoral Act to produce credible election in 2023.

Responding to the media after 2023 budget defence session with the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Cybercrime, he said that his commission is in collaboration with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for adherence to the provision of Electoral Act on what is acceptable in campaign financing.

He said that execution of the law has already started with offenders who were arrested for vote buying in previous elections and are currently facing prosecution.

“We will continue to do what we have to do, we are trying to ensure that illegitimate funds are not finding their way into our electoral processes. The war against vote buying will be total in the 2023 general elections towards making the entire process very credible as planned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” he said.

He commended the National Assembly particularly the committee on anti corruption for supporting the commission through passage of landmark Acts and legislation that the president has assented it.

Commenting on the plan by Central Bank of Nigeria to redesign new naira notes, Mr Bawa noted that with the new policy, the commission will be able to monitor people holding currencies legitimately and illegitimately and track them for required prosecution.

“We welcome the policy; it is a good thing that the country is designing its currency, because how can you have an effective monetary policy when you don’t have control over 85 per cent of your currencies?

On the fight against cyber crime, he revealed that as of October 2022, the commission succeeded in securing 2,847 convictions of cybercrime perpetrators.

He said that he needs the support of youths towards the commission to rid the country of cybercrimes and other criminal activities associated with cyberspace.