By Raphael Ekpang
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said the war against vote buying will be total in the 2023 general elections.
The anti graft agency declared that the aim is to make the entire process very credible as planned by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC).
Chairman of the Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa spoke on Thursday shortly after 2023 budget defence session with the Senate Committee on Anti – Corruption and Cybercrime.
He said the war has already begun with offenders arrested from Osun Governorship election and currently facing prosecution.
“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 added that aside the Osun election, cases of those arrested for vote buying in previous elections were ongoing in court, saying the commission would continue partnering with INEC to arrest and prosecute persons involved in vote buying.
Bawa also thanked the National Assembly for supporting the commission, via landmark legislations designed to further assist it to deliver on its mandate.
He said : “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.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank the National Assembly for their support as EFCC Chairman, particularly the committee on anti corruption.
“They have been with us 100 per cent. You remember recently they have worked with us to pass landmark Acts and legislations and the President has assented to it .
“So, we are working with them towards ensuring that this country is free of economic and financial crimes”.
He lauded the redesigning of naira notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria,(CBN), saying ” it is a welcome development”.
“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.
“Out there, people are holding it, people are using it to speculate on foreign currencies, and so coming out with this policy, the government is trying to contend with it.
“With the new policy, the commission will be able to monitor people holding currencies legitimately and illegitimately.
“I am sure that those people that are holding back this money whether legitimately or illegitimately, we will be able to monitor and track them for required prosecution”, he added.
Speaking on fight against cybercrimes, Bawa urged youths to support the commission to rid the nation of cybercrimes and other criminal activities associated with cyberspace.
He revealed that as of Oct. 2022, the commission succeeded in securing 2,847 convictions of cybercrime perpetrators.
