Commonwealth election observers, on February 15, 2019, paid a courtesy visit to Benin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The election observers, Marcella Damba-Saray and Joy Nopia, disclosed that their mission was to get a clearer picture on the issue of vote buying/selling that has in recent times tarnished the conduct of elections in Nigerian, specifically to know if the Commission has any plan to tackle the menace as the 2019 general election commences.
Mailafia Yakubu, Head of the Benin Zonal Office of the Commission assured the Commonwealth observers that the Commission had deployed adequate men and logistics in the direction of dealing with vote buying and selling, assuring further that anyone caught in the act of buying or selling of vote by the operatives of the Commission will be prosecuted in accordance with the country’s financial crimes regulations.
It could be recalled that the EFCC has issued through the media, telephone contact numbers through which patriotic members of the public with authentic information that can lead to arrest of culprits of vote buying and selling can reach the Commission for prompt action, adding that such patriotic Nigerians will be rewarded in accordance with the Federal Government’s Whistle-blowing policy.