Group Warns Kwarans: Stay-Off Vote Buying Fund, You May Be Held to Account Later

Yaman and Gov Abdulrazaq

The Kwara Advancement Initiative (KAI) has sounded a note of warning to members of the public, especially civil servants in Kwara to desist from allowing their bank accounts to be used to launder money meant to buy votes.

The group also warned Kwarans against receiving such proceeds as largesse from government accounts, as this is highly criminal and could put them in trouble with the law.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Head of the Democratic Mobilization and Monitoring Desk of KAI, Hajia Adeola Bashiru, the pressure group said it “notes with concern, reports of bank accounts of civil servants and private individuals being used to share money to members of the public to influence them ahead of Saturday election.”

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The group warned innocent citizens to resist such largesse, as anti-graft agencies, like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and ICPC, may likely beam their searchlight on the illegal disbursement of government funds and get those complicit prosecuted for it.

“This is nothing else but vote buying and misappropriation of government funds. For what we know, the disbursement, coming few days to the Governorship and House of Assembly elections, did not pass through the due financial procedure,” the statement read.

“Such disbursement at this hour by a government, under an incumbent who is also standing reelection, and to members of the public who are the electorate, leaves much to be desired.

“One other leading political party in Saturday’s election had in a statement yesterday alleged plans by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, to rig the March 18 polls, and this is another pointer to that effect”, the group stated.

KAI, while charging anti-graft agencies to take note of the ugly trend in the state thereby admonishing the people of the state not to be lured by financial inducement, but to go out en masse and vote their conscience.