The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for sanitizing the electoral process of the country with its interventions against vote buying.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Gombe State, Alhaji Umar Ibrahim gave the commendation when he received the Head, Gombe Zonal Office of the EFCC, Michael Wetkas in his office.
Umar noted that the involvement of the EFCC in the just concluded general elections brought a lot of significant developments especially in the area of tackling the scourge of vote buying. He pleaded for more collaboration with EFCC in their future activities.
In his speech, Wetkas informed his host that he and his team were in his office to thank the national electoral body on behalf of the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu for INEC’s cooperation during the Presidential and National Assembly election of February 23 as well as to work out a plan for the Governorship and House Assemblies election of March 9.
Wetkas noted that Nigerians were ready to contribute towards making the country a great nation as exemplified in the keenness with which Nigerians, he said, reported incidences of vote buying through calls to the EFCC during the Presidential and National Assembly elections which led to arrest of Chairman of Dukku Local Government Area of Gombe State, the councillors and some other people, with sums of money recovered.
Senior officers of INEC, present during the visit include: Administrative Secretary, Abacha Bukar Dikwa; Head of Administration and Procurement, Joshua Abubakar; Head of Finance and Account Pascalis Conshiro; Head of Operations, Ayuba Wan; Head of ICT, Bitson Philibus; Head of legal Kimdum, Neufort Patrick; Head of Elections and Party Monitoring, Aminu Isa and Head of Voter Education, Hajiya Maryam Gana.
The Zonal Head also paid a courtesy and familiarisation visit to Colonel F. I. Etim, Commandant, Artillery 301, Gombe.
Senior officers of the Commission who were part of the visit include, Head of Banking Fraud, Suleman Na’abba; Head of Economic Governance, Chinedu Nzeghu and Head of Administration, Collins Nwaja.
The Zonal Head also visited the Commissioner of Police, Gombe State Command; Sector Commandant, Federal Road Safety Corps, Gombe State Command, Dr. Godwin; Gombe State Director of the Department of State Security, DSS, Iro Dan Musa, and Commandant, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Gombe State, Altine Sani Umar.