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- Yakubu, Bello, Wada seek violence-free Kogi guber election
The Sokoto Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has raided the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC’s) office in Zamfara State and recovered N65.5m.
A statement issued in in Abuja by its Spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, noted that the money in higher denominations of Naira notes was recovered from two fireproof safes, while searching offices of INEC’s Head of Accounts and Cashier in the state.
Uwujaren said the operation followed a petition by an ad-hoc staff of the electoral body, alleging that officials of the Commission deducted part of their allowance in the last general elections.
He explained that the complainant had complained that while INEC in Zamfara allegedly paid its ad-hoc staff N9, 000, others in states like Sokoto were paid N12, 000.
He noted that the recovered money might have been part of the funds illegally deducted from releases meant to cater for the movement of materials and electoral officials, as well as provision of chairs, tables and canopies for the 2019 governorship and presidential elections in the state.
Uwujaren disclosed that before the raid, the commission had arrested four officials of INEC in the state.
He identified the officials as, Administrative Secretary Hassan Sidi Aliyu, Head of Operations, Hussain Jafar, State Accountant, Abdullahi Yusuf Abubakar and Cashier Labaran Ishaka, saying they were arrested for alleged conspiracy, breach of trust and criminal diversion of ad-hoc staff allowance amounting to N84.6m.
“Investigation revealed that none of the 10,500 presiding officers, who participated in the elections were paid their entitlements commutatively put at N84.6m,” he said, adding that investigations were on going, while efforts are being made to recover the illegal deductions.
Meanwhile, National Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has cautioned political parties in the upcoming Kogi governorship election to eschew violence that could jeopardise the November 16, 2019 poll.
Yakubu who stated this in Lokoja at INEC’s stakeholders meeting, noted that the commission was not interested in any political party, but ensure the conduct of free, fair credible and conclusive election.
He assured that before the election he and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Adamu Muhammed would visit Kogi, if that was the only way to have free, fair and credible election.
Speaking, Governor Yahaya Bello said he would ensure that lives and property of citizens were protected according to the Nigerian Constitution, noting that violence in Kogi State, as reported in some sections of the media, was not a reflection of the true position of things in the state.
On his part, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Musa Wada, assured the commission of peaceful conduct by his party members, urging INEC and security agencies to ensure free, credible, transparent and violence-free poll.