2019 Campaign Fund Monitor: It’s EFCC’s responsibility – Ngige, Sagay

Speaking with one of our correspondents on Saturday,
the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against
Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), said monitoring campaign
spending was part of the responsibilities of the
EFCC.

Sagay said, “If you look at the EFCC Act, the mandate of the
agency is very wide. It includes everything you can think of as
regards money laundering. Its duty is to prevent and tackle
economic and financial crimes.

“If the law says you cannot spend more than a billion for a
presidential election and it appears to the EFCC that you have
spent about N3bn or N4bn, the commission has the right to ask you
where you got the money from.”

The PACAC chairman admitted that the EFCC did not have the
capacity to monitor all election funds but explained that not all
persons or groups would be investigated.

Sagay added, “The issue of capacity is crucial. Definitely, the
EFCC does not have the capacity to trace everyone spending money.
There’s nowhere in the world that it is possible. So, they will
have to be selective.

“They will have to track specific targets that are obvious.
Support groups also do not come under the law. If a candidate is
not directly spending the money, you cannot charge the candidate
with that.

“You also cannot limit the spending of a support group unless
you can establish conspiracy between the candidate and the support
group.”

Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Ngige, on
Saturday, backed the plan by the EFCC to monitor political spending
in the next electioneering cycle.

Ngige told one of our correspondents on the telephone that the
EFCC should work with other government agencies and use
whistle-blowers.

He said, “It is a commendable step because money sharing has
been the bane of our politics and has made good people to stay away
from politics.

“Our party conventions are like bazaars where votes go to the
highest bidders.

“I will be happy if they can arrest the givers and receivers of
money during conventions. They should shame them.

“They should work with other agencies and they should use
whistle-blowers. I am fully in support of it.”

Speaking with one of our correspondents on Saturday,
the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against
Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), said monitoring campaign
spending was part of the responsibilities of the
EFCC.

Sagay said, “If you look at the EFCC Act, the mandate of the
agency is very wide. It includes everything you can think of as
regards money laundering. Its duty is to prevent and tackle
economic and financial crimes.

“If the law says you cannot spend more than a billion for a
presidential election and it appears to the EFCC that you have
spent about N3bn or N4bn, the commission has the right to ask you
where you got the money from.”

The PACAC chairman admitted that the EFCC did not have the
capacity to monitor all election funds but explained that not all
persons or groups would be investigated.

Sagay added, “The issue of capacity is crucial. Definitely, the
EFCC does not have the capacity to trace everyone spending money.
There’s nowhere in the world that it is possible. So, they will
have to be selective.

“They will have to track specific targets that are obvious.
Support groups also do not come under the law. If a candidate is
not directly spending the money, you cannot charge the candidate
with that.

“You also cannot limit the spending of a support group unless
you can establish conspiracy between the candidate and the support
group.”

Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Ngige, on
Saturday, backed the plan by the EFCC to monitor political spending
in the next electioneering cycle.

Ngige told one of our correspondents on the telephone that the
EFCC should work with other government agencies and use
whistle-blowers.

He said, “It is a commendable step because money sharing has
been the bane of our politics and has made good people to stay away
from politics.

“Our party conventions are like bazaars where votes go to the
highest bidders.

“I will be happy if they can arrest the givers and receivers of
money during conventions. They should shame them.

“They should work with other agencies and they should use
whistle-blowers. I am fully in support of it.”