The Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions, Abdul Rasheed Bawa, on Wednesday, raised an alarm over plans by politicians to buy votes in kind and not only in cash during the general elections.
He made this assertion during an interview on Channels Television’s election programme, The 2023 Verdict.
The EFCC chairman, who confirmed that all of its officers have been deployed to monitor the polls across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, urged citizens to report vote-buying, selling, or other evidence of financial malpractices.
He said, “We have an intel that a lot of politicians have bought some items that they will use to buy votes in kind and not in cash. But we are prepared for any situation and will not hesitate to anyone caught in the act. We will watch out for all these things on election day.
Bawa further revealed that public officials, corrupt businessmen and not only governors are hoarding old and new naira notes with the intent to buy votes during the presidential election scheduled to hold on Saturday.
According to him, the EFCC is aware of the tactics used by vote buyers and officials of the commission are prepared to handle any situation that may arise.
“I don’t want to say only governors are hoarding naira notes, there are public servants out there doing the same thing or some businessmen with questionable characters are still having these funds in their homes. So, I don’t want to say governors are these but I will say that public servants, either retired or serving and some businessmen with questionable characters are on our radar.
“The biggest hurdle is if Nigerians don’t buy into what we are doing but I believe once we are united, we would be able to take inadequacies out of our system,” he stated.
