The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has promised to ensure the integrity of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State by deploying operatives to all local government areas to checkmate vote buying during the exercise.
This was made known in a press statement released on Thursday and signed by Dele Oyewale
Head, Media & Publicity of the commission.
The statement read in part, “Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have been deployed to all local government areas in Edo State to tackle voters’ inducement in the Saturday, September 21, 2024 governorship elections
“Commenting on this, Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede stated that the EFCC was committed to the attainment of electoral integrity across the country by insulating voters from every form of financial inducement in exercising their franchise.
“The Commission has always been involved in monitoring every electoral process across the country in line with its mandate of tackling all forms of economic and financial crimes.”
The move aims to prevent voters’ inducement and promote a free and fair electoral process.
According to EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, the commission is committed to electoral integrity, ensuring voters cast their votes without financial inducement. He emphasized that vote buying is a financial crime, and the EFCC won’t tolerate it.
The EFCC has a history of monitoring electoral processes to combat economic and financial crimes. In the past, they’ve deployed officers to states and released incident reporting hotlines for the public to report suspicious activities.
To combat financial malpractices, EFCC operatives will monitor the elections, while the commission has also organized town hall meetings to educate voters on the consequences of vote buying and selling.
These meetings aimed to empower citizens to make informed decisions and report suspicious activities. Additionally, the EFCC has established hotlines and a financial crimes reporting app, Eagle Eye, allowing the public to report any shady dealings.
