Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission has vowed to monitor the movement of huge sums
of money in the activities of political parties.
The EFCC also stated that it would prevent
politicians from sharing money at party conventions or at polling centres.
The Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, said
this during a programme, ‘Question Time’, on Channels Television.
He said, “We are working with INEC to make sure
that we seal every window, and every leakage before the election. We will block
any avenue where people can move a lot of money either physically in cash or
through banks.
“We will prevent people from using money to buy
votes or use money during conventions for delegates. We have machinery in
place.”
It’s EFCC’s responsibility
–Sagay
Speaking with one of our correspondents on
Saturday, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against
Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), said monitoring campaign spending was part
of the responsibilities of the EFCC.
Sagay said, “If you look at the EFCC Act, the
mandate of the agency is very wide. It includes everything you can think of as
regards money laundering. Its duty is to prevent and tackle economic and
financial crimes.
“If the law says you cannot spend more than a
billion for a presidential election and it appears to the EFCC that you have
spent about N3bn or N4bn, the commission has the right to ask you where you got
the money from.”
The PACAC chairman admitted that the EFCC did not
have the capacity to monitor all election funds but explained that not all
persons or groups would be investigated.
Sagay added, “The issue of capacity is crucial.
Definitely, the EFCC does not have the capacity to trace everyone spending
money. There’s nowhere in the world that it is possible. So, they will have to
be selective.
“They will have to track specific targets that
are obvious. Support groups also do not come under the law. If a candidate is
not directly spending the money, you cannot charge the candidate with that.
“You also cannot limit the spending of a support
group unless you can establish conspiracy between the candidate and the support
group.”
EFCC has no power to monitor parties’
spending –PDP
But the People’s Democratic Party says it will be
illegal for the EFCC to pry into how political parties spend their money.
The main opposition party stated that only the
Independent National Electoral Commission was empowered by law to monitor the
accounts of political parties.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party,
Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, told one of our correspondents on Saturday that there
was no way the commission would delegate such power to the anti-graft agency.
Ologbondiyan said, “The EFCC doesn’t have such
power to monitor how political parties spend their money.
“Such power is vested in INEC and the commission
doesn’t have the power to delegate the functions given to it by law.
“The electoral body had written to all political
parties, asking them to furnish it with their 2015 financial records. The EFCC
has no such power.
“How can they be monitoring political parties’
convention? Does the law give them such power? They can’t hide under the
alleged directive by INEC to commit illegality.”
APC, NCP welcome EFCC, INEC’s partnership
But the ruling party, the All Progressives
Congress and the National Conscience Party have expressed support for the
decision by the EFCC and INEC to eliminate vote buying and money sharing.
In separate telephone interviews with SUNDAY
PUNCH on Saturday, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam
Bolaji Abdullahi, said his party, more than any other, fully supported any
legitimate move to curb corruption under any guise.
He stated, “It is a welcome development. We
are a government that came to power on the strength of commitment to fight
corruption. We welcome it as long as what the EFCC wants to do is within the
ambit of the law and we are fully in support of such a move.”
Speaking in a similar vein, the National Chairman
of the NCP, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, said, “If it can be effectively and transparently
done and not used by the government in power for a witch-hunt, it’s a beautiful
idea.
“At least, we can be assured that people will
vote according to their conscience by voting the right candidate into office
and we will have fewer cases of people being induced with money to vote for the
wrong people.
“It will reduce the influence of money on our
polity. We only hope and pray that the anti-graft agency will not hide under
this guise to intimidate other political parties to pave the way for the ruling
party.”
SAN backs EFCC
Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Emeka
Ngige, on Saturday, backed the plan by the EFCC to monitor political spending
in the next electioneering cycle.
Ngige told one of our correspondents on the
telephone that the EFCC should work with other government agencies and use
whistle-blowers.
He said, “It is a commendable step because money
sharing has been the bane of our politics and has made good people to stay away
from politics.
“Our party conventions are like bazaars where
votes go to the highest bidders.
“I will be happy if they can arrest the givers
and receivers of money during conventions. They should shame them.
“They should work with other agencies and they
should use whistle-blowers. I am fully in support of it.”
