A non-governmental Organisation (NGO), Speak Out Africa Initiative, has advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to track all money transferred 48 hours before election day through commercial banks.
The Executive Director of the NGO, Mr. Kenneth Eze, gave the advice at a news briefing on Thursday, in Abuja.
Eze said this would help in the possible identification of suspicious electronic money transfers from single source-to-multiple individuals as politicians had device new means of vote buying.
“While the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) handle the physical aspect of vote trading, CBN should track all money transfers.
“We equally call on the Inspector General of Police to configure Polling Units’ security agent encryption where each assigned security agent to the polling unit will be held accountable for actions/inactions.
“Action such as vote buying and other vices, and such personnel details should be given to the INEC staff in the polling unit to avoid impersonation for recognition,” he said.
Eze said that the NGO had deployed about 1,405 election radar officers to monitor elections across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He further explained that those deployed would be indigenous voters of the assigned polling units for direct first-hand reports from accreditation, voting, and declaration of results.
“We have deployed radar officers across the country who will track, observe and report real-time incidences with accuracy as well as assess the overall mood of the citizens.
“They will also monitor the movement of Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) materials so far in order to guarantee the credibility and fairness of the 2023 general elections,” he said.
He called on Nigerians to take their destiny by their hands and reject any attempt to arm-twist them by selling their votes for peanuts.
He equally advised Nigerians to come out en mass to go out and vote for candidates of their choice “as we birth a new Nigeria.”
“The daily upsurge of citizens trooping INEC designated centers to do Continue Voters Registration (CVR), collection of their Permanent voters’ card (PVC) or any electoral related activities is a litmus test that there is a great political awakening, especially among the young people who constitute the largest voting population.
“The political landscape has taken a leap and will not remain the same again after the general election”, he added.
The executive director, however, commended INEC for its overall performance, “which could be rated well, except for a few challenges, which needed reinforcement and improvement.
“The truth is that INEC has done appreciably well as some of her decision taken to the buildup of this election has consolidated faith in its determination and capacity to conduct free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria against all odds,” he said.
