Ahead of the 2023 general election timetable, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is to beam its searchlight on politicians and political parties in a bid to track the sources of funds for their campaigns.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at an event in Abuja on Friday. According to him, the commission will set up teams to monitor election spending ahead of the polls. Represented by Prof. Ajayi Kunle, who is INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of the party monitoring committee, the INEC boss said the electoral empire would also monitor the movement of money on election days to tackle vote-buying at polling units.
Yakubu, who said that with the assistance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), commercial banks would be mandated to report all suspicious transactions ahead of the election, thre#tened to prosecute any bank that failed to cooperate.
When asked about the legal implications of the move, the INEC boss explained that the Electoral Act and the constitution empower INEC to make any other regulations that will assist its efficiency.
