The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) have said vote buying is an economic crime and the commission would not tolerate it as parties battle over next Edo State Governor in next Saturday poll.
The spokesman for EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said “We will not allow any kind of criminality in any form.”
“The same spirit and focus that we have been using to fight all other crimes, will be deployed be the commission to fight criminality including vote-buying.”
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the electoral body had asked security agencies to go after vote buyers.
“Therefore, it will be a big mistake for any political party to think that its members can engage in vote-buying on election day because law enforcement agents will move against them. I would strongly advise anyone thinking of doing it to have a rethink. Apart from the fact that vote-buying is an electoral offence, it will also go against the spirit and letter of the Peace Accord that the political parties and their candidates signed only on Thursday here in Benin City,” he added.
Obaseki raises election postponement alarm
Meanwhile, the Edo State Governor Obaseki, has alleged that INEC is working in cahoots with the APC to postpone the governorship poll on the eve of the election.
A statement on Friday said the governor spoke while addressing members and leaders of the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.
Obaseki, who had earlier refused to sign the peace agreement, noted that the country’s democracy was at risk.
He said, “They plan to postpone the election on the eve of the election to destabilise us. But whenever they postpone the election, we will win the election. It will be a long fight but we know it’s a struggle.”
“APC has not offered us an alternative. They have not campaigned on any meaningful thing we can hold them onto. They don’t have any credible candidate but all they boast of is federal might. They say they will write the results and we can go to court. We will not go to court because they can’t write the results. If they write the results, they will meet the consequences.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
