INEC, EFCC plot ways to fight corruption

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to henceforth prosecute any INEC staff found to have committed any offence related to its mandate, without waiting for the conclusion of INEC’s internal investigation.

Exchanging views with the acting EFCC chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, during a meeting at the anti-corruption agency’s headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday,  Professor Yakubu said it took INEC about four months to thoroughly investigate all the allegations against the 202 staff members contained in the interim report the agency forwarded to the commission, before a final decision could be reached.

To avoid this sort of delay in the future, Profesor Yakubu implored the anti-corruption agency to commence the prosecution of any staff, if it possessed sufficient  evidence to do so.

He explained that the implicated former national commissioner and five former Resident Electoral Commissioners (one of whom is now deceased) have been referred to the Presidency through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). The reason, he stated, “is that they were appointed by the Federal Government and as such, the Commission cannot take further action against them.”

However, he said the commission was referring 70 other staff members back to the EFCC for further investigation and possible prosecution, because of insufficient evidence.

Responding, Magu said the EFCC regarded corruption as “a crime against humanity.”

He lauded the INEC chairman for cooperating with the anti-corruption agency in the cases involving some INEC staff.