The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called on candidates for political parties in the 2023 general elections, to declare their assets publicly.
The Centre also urged candidates to ensure full compliance with CCB rules, which would promote integrity in public service.
The Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani made the call when he paid courtesy visit to the chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in Abuja on Friday.
“As we are going into the 2023 General elections, The Executive Director CISLAC said the visit focuses on three objectives, the first objective, which will focus on the campaign season, hopes to encourage candidates running for public office to publicly declare their assets.
“The second and third objectives would urge candidates to commit to ensuring full compliance with asset declaration laws by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), as well as investigate past leaks around non-compliance with asset declaration when they get into office.
“During the political parties’ primaries, commercialization of politics was the main headline, adding that it became a pointer to how vote trading and electoral bribery can play a disruptive role in the 2023 elections,” Rafsanjani said.
According to him, CISLAC has been working closely with the Bureau and decried government’s lack of support to the agency.
He said supporting CCB is important because it would make the public know more about the agency and its functions.
Rafsanjani called on the Bureau to investigate offences on asset declaration and also send such offences to the tribunal for adjudication.
He also urged the CCB to send a representative to work with CISLAC on the project, while maintaining a good relationship with civil society groups and the media.
