EFCC restates commitment to tackling electoral fraud
Abdulrasheed Bawaz, Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, reiterated the anti-graft agency's commitment to ensuring free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria by combating all forms of electoral fraud on Wednesday.
The EFCC boss stated this in Abuja while speaking at an interfaith peace summit organized by the Nigerian Television Authority's Abrahamic Mission in collaboration with the Al-habibiyah organization, with the theme 'Prosecuting Peaceful Elections; Role of Faith Communities'.
The EFCC boss, who spoke through his representative, Dele Oyewale, an assistant commander and assistant director of the agency's Media and Publicity Unit, stated that the commission was determined to ensure the integrity of the electoral process by tackling all forms of electoral fraud, including vote buying, vote selling, monetisation, and other things that might affect the integrity of the electoral process.
"As an anti-corruption agency, the EFCC is equipped to ensure that every necessary election process, rule, and regulation is followed," he said. To ensure peace, we must ensure that there is no manipulation and that nothing triggers any form of violence. To that end, any form of electoral irregularity, malpractice, or interference with the electoral process would be addressed.
"In all the fourteen zonal commands of the EFCC, we have our officers on ground that will monitor all the electoral processes and the conduct of the election. We are prepared and committed, and we have all of the resources necessary to ensure that the right thing is done before, during, and after the elections.
"It will interest you to know that in the previous elections that we had, several arrests were made in respect of vote buying, vote selling and other forms of irregularity in the electoral process. Some have even been charged in court. So it is a very serious matter to ensure that the right thing is done, that justice is served, and that the people elected by the electorate actually emerge."
He also urged all Nigerians to join the EFCC in its efforts to rid the country of all forms of economic and financial crime and to take advantage of the federal government's whistleblower policy.
"But for us to do this and do it well, we will need the cooperation of Nigerians from all walks of life," he added. We want whistleblowers to help us by providing information about what is going on in their neighborhood."
Imam Fuad Adeyemi of Al-Habibiyah, the summit's convener, emphasized the importance of educating people on the value of acquiring knowledge.
"When we have the right education, we cannot fight ourselves; there is no way that someone with the right education will fight, except those used by the devil," he said.
The representative of the US Ambassador, Jason Currier, emphasized the importance of credible elections, saying that the US does not support any particular political party or candidate, but rather a peaceful democratic process.
"What the United States Government wants to emphasize is that we support a just, peaceful process that reflects the will of the people," he said.
He urged all Nigerians to keep the peace before, during, and after the elections.
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