Diezani gave some politicians $115m to compromise 2015 polls – EFCC

Abdulrasheed Bawa, the EFCC chairperson, said this on Wednesday at an induction retreat for new resident electoral commissioners (INEC) in Lagos.

The EFCC chairperson’s representative said some of the monies allegedly stolen by Diezani have been recovered by the agency.

He disclosed that the anti-graft agency is focusing on how to discourage vote buying.

“The commission’s focus in election management is discouraging the use of money to influence the outcome of election,” THISDAY quoted him as saying.

“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 automatically loses moral ground to challenge corrupt tendencies of those elected.

“In the 2015 discreet investigation, the commission was able to uncover a grand plan to compromise the 2015 general election through massive cash payments 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 convictions 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.”