As politicians ramp up their campaigns for the 2023 general elections, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, has stated that it is closely monitoring the spending habits of senior politicians in order to prevent them from using cash to influence the political process.
Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, Chairman of the EFCC, stated that the commission is taking care not to summon some of them for questioning in order to avoid being misunderstood as political witch-hunting.
He stated that the commission has received a number of petitions against major political leaders, which the anti-graft body is presently investigating.
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Confirming the development, he said the EFCC’s Petitions Vetting Desk/Committee, which is made up of experienced officers from the Legal Department and those trained to investigate such petitions, is currently reviewing these petitions to determine whether they have merits that will warrant prosecution. He made the announcement on Thursday while participating in the weekly briefings organized by the Presidential Media Team at the State House, Abuja.
Bawa emphasized that the anti-graft organization he leads is prepared to work for Nigerians’ interests without fear or favor, and that the EFCC is working on every petition that has been directed to it to determine the authenticity of such petition.
Asked if EFCC has received any petition against any of the 18 presidential candidates jostling to occupy the presidency by 2023, Bawa simply responded saying: “My concern is, at this hour, do you want us to start inviting all the presidential candidates to come to our office to make statements? You, the same media, will say it’s politically motivated.
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“So we are not, but we are working behind the scene regarding such petitions we have received to see those that have merits, so that’s why we are not politicizing it.
“That’s another reason why we have what we call Petitions Vetting Desk/Committee made up of experienced officers from the Legal Department as well as those trained to investigate that will review these petitions to see whether they are in line with our own mandate before they will recommend whether they will be prosecuted by the EFCC.
“There are also benchmarks, so to speak, that guide our procedures, you know, in terms of accepting or rejecting petitions, as we also have criteria which have even been publicised to guide petitioners on the requirements to make a petition to have merit.”
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