The Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC) has described the inclusion of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) in the election monitoring process as one of the best policy decisions in Nigeria’s electoral administration.
Stating this was Katsina State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Jibrin Zarewa, when he received the Kano zonal head of the EFCC, Sanusi Aliyu Mohammed, who paid him a Courtesy Visit on Thursday, September 17, 2020.
Zarewa noted that following a wise counsel by the leadership of INEC, the EFCC had to be included in the expanded inter-agency committee on election security. “There has been in place, an Inter-Agency Committee Control on Election Security (ICCES). Inadvertently, EFCC was not a member but wise counsel prevailed and the EFCC and ICPC were brought in to help improve the electoral process,” Zarewa said.
Justifying the inclusion of the EFCC, the Katsina State REC stated that all agencies of government that can add value to the electoral process needed to be brought on board to improve the Nigerian electoral administration that is bedeviled with several acts of malpractices.
In his remarks, Mohammed noted that the inclusion of the EFCC in INEC’s security committee, was solely to tackle the scourge of vote buying and tracking of fraudulent campaign funding and pledged EFCC’s support in the conduct of elections.
He also urged the national electoral body to key into the Commission’s fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes.