By Atoyebi Nike
In a bid to curb electoral fraud and financial crimes during local government elections, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were deployed across Lagos State on Saturday, July 12, 2023.
The deployment, coordinated by Lagos Zonal Directorates 1 and 2, focused on Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) where polling activities were held. The exercise aimed to deter vote buying, vote selling, and other infractions that violate Nigeria’s Electoral Act.
At Zonal Directorate 1, Commander of the EFCC and Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman, CE Michael Nzekwe, led teams on ground, urging officers to remain civil, professional, and vigilant. He visited several key polling locations to supervise the monitoring efforts and ensure compliance.
“Our visible presence at the grassroots level underscores our unwavering commitment to promoting transparency, accountability, and institutional vigilance,” Nzekwe stated.
In Zonal Directorate 2, Acting Zonal Director, ACE I Ahmed Ghali, addressed operatives before deployment, emphasizing the EFCC’s role in preventing the misuse of public and private funds for election-related misconduct.
“We are going there to monitor the election and ensure that it is peaceful,” Ghali said.
He later toured polling units in Ikeja, Agege, Surulere, and Apapa, where he reported that the exercise had been peaceful.
“We have not received any reports of vote buying in any of the polling units visited so far. We are still monitoring until voting is completed,” he noted.
The EFCC’s proactive involvement in electoral processes reflects a broader effort to protect democratic integrity and enforce accountability in Nigeria’s political system.
