Ahead 2023 polls: Presidential candidates, others on our watchlist, says EFCC

The Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has disclosed that some “top politicians” are on its watch list in the build up to the 2023 elections.

This followed several petitions the anti-graft agency received to date.

EFCC Chairman, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, said this on Thursday at the 62nd Ministerial Media briefing held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja organized by the Presidential Communications Team.

“We are critically looking at every petition directed against top Nigerian politicians.

“Certainly we are watching a lot of them and a lot of Nigerians have also provided us with information here and there and we are watching, you can also help us with any piece of information you have,” Persecondnews quotes Bawa as saying.

On the veracity of the petitions, Bawa explained that the Petitions Vetting Desk/Committee of EFCC, made up of experienced officers from the Legal Department as well as those trained to investigate such petitions, are currently reviewing the petitions to see whether they have merits that will warrant prosecution.

He assured that the commission is out to “work for the interest of Nigerians” and was determined to carry out its duties without fear or favour.

On the 2023 polls, Bawa said the commission is already working in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to curtail vote-buying and other corrupt tendencies during the election.

“We are doing quite a lot on this, we are working with INEC and a lot of people, but ultimately we want to work with Nigerians.

“They should know the implications of selling their votes or accepting that their votes should be bought by these individuals.

“We hope and pray that our modest effort will be able to curtail this issue of vote buying when it comes to the elections in February and March,” he said.

On whether the EFCC has received any petition about any of the 18 presidential candidates, he said the Petitions Vetting Desk/Committee is currently working on them.

“On the question if we received petitions against top politicians contesting for office. My question is at this hour do you want to start inviting all the presidential candidates to come and make statements?

“The same media will say it’s politically motivated. So we are not, we are working behind the scene in all the petitions we received to see those that have merits, so that is why we are not politicising it.

“And that is 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.

“We have a benchmark for it that we can follow that guides us. You know in terms of accepting or rejecting petitions as we also have a criteria which have even been publicised to guide petitioners on the requirements to make a petition to have merit.

“Hope this question is not politically motivated?” Bawa queried.