Abdulrasheed Bawa EFCC Chairman
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, Wednesday, revealed how a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, paid out about $115 million in bribe to politicians to compromise the 2015 election.
He disclosed this at a retreat for newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja.
He assured that EFCC has embarked on a discreet operation undertaken by the commission to tame vote buying ahead of the 2015 election, revealed that a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, paid out about $115 million to politicians to compromise the election.
Bawa, who was also represented by the Chief Superintendent in the Commission, Adukwu Michael, however, noted that the EFCC had embarked on voter education and working to ensure that politicians did not spend beyond the stipulated amount.
He said: “The commission’s focus in election management is discouraging the use of money to influence the outcome of election. Electoral spending by politicians often leads to voter inducement and vote buying.
“Parties often induce voter with money because they lack proper and realistic policies to convince the electorate to vote them into power. Whenever one is induced to sell his vote, he automatic loses moral ground to challenge corrupt tendencies of those elected.
“In the 2015 discreet investigation, the Commission was able to uncovered a ground plan to compromise the 2015 general election through massive cash payment to politicians. $115 million was paid out to politicians by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madukwe, to compromise the election.
“Some of the money was recovered while many of the culprits are being prosecuted with few conviction recorded. At the heart of EFCC strategy to curb voter inducement is inter-agency collaboration and information sharing.
“The EFCC is complementing the efforts of other stakeholders in educating the electorate on why it is important for their votes to not be traded. We are working with INEC to determine and to enforce provisions of the Electoral Act as it relates to limit of campaign spending by different categories of office seekers. This is an intelligence-driven exercise.”
