Bribe: Beam Your Searchlight On NASS, CSO Tells EFCC, ICPC

The Campaign for Democracy (CD) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to beam their searchlight on the National Assembly members at both the upper and the lower legislative chambers as they elect the principal officers of the 10th assembly.

Specifically, the CSO said the anti-graft agencies should thoroughly probe the alleged $10,000 bribery involving a ranking senator and 70 newly elected senators for the 10th Senate.

The media had last week reported a meeting between a senator and elected senators where the sum of $10,000 was allegedly shared to 70 senators.

A statement issued by the secretary-general of Campaign for Democracy, Pst Ifeanyi Odili, said they heard it through an impeccable source that some ranking senators have started using their wealth to woo the returning senators and the new members who have just received their certificates of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with dollars and other hard currencies in other to win their votes when electing principal officers of the National Assembly.

“If we allow these politicians to use money to induce the newly elected members of the 10th National Assembly, the nation will not really get it right again.

“We are afraid that such practice could plunge the nation into another round of quagmire and the leadership of the National Assembly will not be able to join hands with the executive to fight corruption headlong since they are products of corruption. It takes a corrupt senator to lobby positions with money.

“We have reliably gathered that aspirants for the position of the senate presidency have started reaching out to both returning and newly elected Senators with huge amounts of hard currency with a view to getting their vote on assumption of office come June, 2023.

“The EFCC and the ICPC should, as a matter of urgency, swing into action and probe the disturbing phenomenon to save our nascent democracy.

“The anti-graft agencies may also ensure that no senator that is facing corruption charges or has pending cases in court is allowed to take a sensitive position in the 10th Senate,” he said.