The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that corrupt politicians have come up with a new method of vote buying, by using items to give voters instead of cash.
EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, made this disclosure on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The 2023 Verdict.
“We have intel that a lot of people have bought some items that they want [to use] to buy votes in kind, not in cash. Some of these things are out there,” Bawa stated.
“Politicians are also Nigerians. We too have a way of doing our own things. We have our own experiences in this as well.”
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The head of the EFCC pleaded with all Nigerians to assist the anti-graft organization in its fight against vote-buying in the next presidential and national assembly elections on Saturday.
Also, he urged the electorate to choose candidates for political offices who possess moral character and integrity.
He contended that vote-buying is a major problem that must be eradicated at all costs since it impacts the future of Nigeria and its population.
When asked what hurdle the commission was facing regarding vote-buying, Bawa said, “I think the hurdle is if Nigerians are not buying into what we are doing. I think that is the biggest hurdle.
“Once we are united on that front because the office of the citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the most powerful office in this country.
“We can all come together to ensure that the people we are voting into various elective positions are people with proven integrity and of higher ethical standards. The only way you can determine that they have genuinely sold themselves in what they will do is when they get into office.