The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed how politicians are planning to buy votes ahead of Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections.
According to the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, intelligence gathered by the Commission has shown that some politicians are planning to buy votes in kind rather than with cash.
Bawa disclosed this while speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s The 2023 Verdict on Wednesday.
Recall that Nigerians will be heading to the polls for the 2023 general elections amid the nationwide scarcity of the new naira notes.
The EFCC boss said, “We have intel that a lot of people have bought some items that they want [to use] to buy votes in kind, not in cash. Some of these things are out there.
“Politicians are also Nigerians. We too have a way of doing things. We have our own experiences in this as well.”
Bawa, however, asked all Nigerians to cooperate with the anti-graft agency in its efforts to fight against vote-buying and related electoral offenses.
He also urged the citizens to vote for people with integrity and an ethical standard in elective positions.
According to Bawa, vote-buying is a serious issue that affects the future of Nigeria and its citizens and must be stopped by all means.
Speaking on the hurdle faced by the EFCC regarding vote-buying, Bawa said, “I think the hurdle is if Nigerians are not buying into what we are doing.” I think that is the biggest hurdle.
“Once we are united on that front, the office of the citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the most powerful office in this country.”
“We can all come together to ensure that the people we are voting into various elective positions are people with proven integrity and of a higher ethical standard.”
“The only way you can determine whether they have genuinely sold themselves on what they will do is when they get into office,” he said.
