Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said its operatives stormed the presidential primary election of the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Moshood Kashimawo Abiola National Stadium in Abuja to monitor alleged delegates inducement and financial malpractices.
The agency’s Public Relations Officer, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this to newsmen at the weekend, stressing that the anti-graft agency was determined to curb corruption.
He said: “Our operatives are at the ongoing PDP presidential primary elections at the MKO Abiola Stadium to monitor the exercise, and most especially, to check delegates inducement and other financial malpractice.”
Operatives of the EFCC had stormed the venue of the PDP’s presidential primary election held on Friday and Saturday in Abuja following reports of alleged vote buying and bribing of delegates at the event.
Some of the officers were seen searching ‘Ghana must go’ bags at the venue in a bid to find cash arranged by politicians to buy votes and induce delegates during the exercise.
Meanwhile, some delegates have said anti-graft agencies lack evidence to prosecute them despite being induced with huge amounts of money.
In Kano, an anonymous delegate insisted that there was nothing wrong in collecting cash from aspirants, describing the money as “chicken change” that will not last.
“It is just our time to smile after a very long period. Whoever is asking for our prosecution is certainly not privileged to be in our shoes because I doubt if there’s one person in Nigeria that will not collect,” he said.
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He added that contrary to what people believe, many delegates don’t receive the huge amount of money being called out in the media because of middlemen, except in situations where they are lucky enough to receive the money directly from the aspirant.
An APC delegate who spoke anonymously, described the largesse as their ‘share’, which had been budgeted for by all the aspirants.
They both said the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) had no proof that they were bribed and so could not prosecute them.
Another delegate of the APC in another state said it was to evade prosecution that campaign funds were not paid into bank accounts, which he said could be traceable.
“Who can prove that they gave us money?” he asked, adding that the EFCC or ICPC would have a hard time proving that delegates collected money from aspirants.
A PDP delegate in Borno State said the process of sharing money might not be easy to be tracked by anti-graft agencies.
He said, “I don’t have any fear of being tracked down because I did not receive any document or evidence of payment from the aspirants. I am not afraid of anything because delegates’ election is just like business, the highest bidder gets the result. And I will vote for the one who gives me the highest amount, or the aspirant of my political mentor.”
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