By John Alechenu, Abuja
ABUJA — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has raised concerns over the deployment of illicit funds, including proceeds from drug trafficking, cybercrime and stolen public funds, to finance elections in Nigeria.
The Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, also pledged to intensify efforts to tackle vote buying and selling as part of measures to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
They spoke on Wednesday at a Stakeholder Roundtable on Electoral Reform and Youth Participation, organised by Kimpact Development Initiative, KDI, in Abuja.
Representing the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, a senior operative of the Commission, Adikwu Micheal, said the agency was concerned about the implications of unchecked vote buying.
“We at the Commission are interested in vote buying and selling. I have been involved in elections since 2003, even before I joined the EFCC. INEC reforms have made the voter’s card valuable,” he said.
Micheal also lamented attacks on EFCC operatives during election-related enforcement activities, saying some of the attacks were carried out by voters rather than political thugs.
“Sadly, our operatives are now being attacked not by thugs — thugs are people hired by politicians — but by voters themselves,” he said.
He recalled that in 2023, EFCC operatives arrested a person allegedly buying votes with cash, after which voters attacked their vehicle.
“It took the intervention of the Army and Police to save our men. For us, it is safety first,” he said.
Micheal added that during a recent local government election in Gwagwalada, Abuja, security personnel had to intervene to ensure the safety of EFCC operatives.
He urged stakeholders to intensify public enlightenment and discourage voters from demanding payment in exchange for their votes.
The EFCC official also warned about the possible use of illicit funds to influence electoral contests.
“You may have a situation where drug money, stolen public funds and even money from yahoo — cybercrime — is being used to fund elections,” he said.
He warned that unchecked deployment of illicit funds could undermine the principle of popular choice in elections.
“If we allow this to continue, we may have a situation where not a popular person per se but the richest person on the ballot wins the elections,” he said.
Corruption erodes confidence — ICPC
Representing the Chairman of the ICPC, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, Mr Godwin Suleiman said corruption undermined confidence in elections and democracy.
“Elections remain a pillar of the electoral process. Electoral integrity is important because corruption erodes public confidence not only in elections but in democracy as a whole,” he said.
Suleiman said the commission was committed to strengthening systems that promote transparency and integrity in the electoral process.
“We must strengthen systems that promote transparency and integrity of the electoral process. Our collective responsibility is to build these systems that will promote public confidence.
“We are ready to do all that is required within our mandate to support this mission,” he said.
INEC raises concern over youth participation
The Director of Election and Party Monitoring at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Joan Mille Arabs, expressed concern over what she described as low participation of young people in elective politics.
“How many of our young people are involved in seeking elective offices? In the First Republic, youths were mostly at the helm of affairs but today, more than 50 years later, we still have those who were in charge 50 years ago still directing affairs,” she said.
Arabs also questioned the level of youth representation within political parties.
“We keep saying youths are the leaders of tomorrow but for them tomorrow never comes. Even within our political parties today, how many youths occupy positions? We need a vibrant political class for the future,” she said.
She urged stakeholders to intensify voter education and encourage greater youth participation in the political process.
IPAC faults Electoral Act
Earlier, the Director-General of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Chinedu Obi, criticised the 2026 Electoral Act (as amended), saying some of its provisions had weakened the electoral process.
“The 2026 Electoral Act Amendment set us back 20 years,” he said.
Obi also criticised the removal of forgery as a ground for challenging an election, describing the development as a disservice to democracy.
At the end of the roundtable, stakeholders issued a communique containing recommendations aimed at strengthening the electoral process.
They urged INEC to train electoral officers on troubleshooting the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, as well as the uploading of Form EC8A and results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV.
The stakeholders also urged INEC to build on what they described as positive aspects of the Osun governorship election and establish a dedicated anti-vote-buying enforcement mechanism.
They further called on security agencies to strengthen election security to ensure that voters feel safe to participate in elections on Election Day.
Click Here For The Original Source.
