Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (INEC), Ibrahim Magu, has said that the Commission will prosecute all staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicted for corruption in the conduct of the 2015 general election. According to him, “We are already prosecuting some of the INEC staff, we have started in Lagos and we are in the process in Port Harcourt, Kano and Gombe.”
The EFCC boss made the disclosure Thursday while playing host to the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, who led other management staff of the electoral body on a courtesy visit to the EFCC head office, Abuja.
While expressing satisfaction with the collaboration between the two agencies, Magu commended the INEC boss for supporting the investigation affecting some of his staff members. “What you have done will change the course of electioneering in this country, by bringing in sanity and credibility. It will send a signal and serve as deterrent to any person who may wish to perpetrate fraud in the electoral process whether as a monitor or staff of INEC,” he said.
Magu assured the INEC of EFCC’s continued support, noting that the agency’s functions were central to the future of the country, and that the next election must be different.
Yakubu while appreciating the EFCC, revealed that some of the indicted INEC staff had made refunds of their share of the over N3.4 billion bribe money. He added that from the list received from EFCC, 70 staff across 3 states of the federation are still in denial and will be referred to the EFCC for further investigation.
He said about 5 political appointees who are either National Commissioners or Resident Commissioners were found wanting, while 21 retired staff mostly acting under the aegis of WANEO ( West African Network of Election Observers ) were also indicted and have been blacklisted from monitoring election or any activity organized by the Commission.
“If we get our election right, we get our democracy right as the right people will be elected and once we get our democracy right we will get national progress and development on track.
“INEC, the EFCC are on the same page in this big responsibility of sanitising the country,” he said.
The delegation from INEC included Amina Bawa Zakari, Baba Arfo Shetima, Prof Okey Ibeanu, Engr Abubakar Nahuche, Mohammed Haruna, Professor Anthonia Okoosi Simbine, Musa H. Adamu, Oluwole Osaze Uzzi, and Rotimi Oyekanmi.
