The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused some desperate politicians of trying to buy votes in the coming elections in kind and not with cash.
Abdulrasheed Bawa, the chairman of the EFCC, said Wednesday that the commission had gathered intelligence about the plans of these politicians, who would stop at nothing to cajole vulnerable voters into selling their votes.
Bawa made this disclosure during an interview on Channels Television’s “The 2023 Verdict” programme amidst the ongoing naira note scarcity troubling Nigerians.
“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,” he stated.
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“Politicians are also Nigerians. We too have a way of doing our own things. We have our own experiences in this as well.”
The EFCC chairman said that he understood the pain Nigerians were going through because of the scarcity, but that the policy would benefit them in the short and long runs as it would help deal with the menace of vote buying.
Bawa believes that it will not only help to clean up the electoral system but will also ensure that only credible candidates are elected in this election.
According to him, “vote-buying is a serious issue that affects the future of Nigeria and its citizens and must be stopped by all means.”
He, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the negative comments the commission has received from the public over the naira note policy, especially with the commission’s involvement in trying to clean up the process. “I think the hurdle is if Nigerians are not buying into what we are doing. I think that is the biggest hurdle,” Bawa said.
“Once we are united on that front, becuase 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 higher ethical standard. The only way you can determine that those have genuinely sold themselves in what they will do is when they get into office.”
