2019: INEC to monitor campaign funding

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it will deploy its staff to monitor and report cases of undue influence of money, which it said is prevalent among politicians, ahead 2019 electioneering campaign.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day zonal training workshop on political campaign finance tracking/reporting for INEC staff in Ilorin on Wednesday, the administrative secretary of the commission in Kwara state, Mr. Paul Atser, called on anti-graft agencies in the country to also regulate the illegal act to prevent subversion of people’s will in the electoral process.

Mr. Atser, who expressed worry about the overbearing influence of money in Nigeria politics, “as exemplified in some recently conducted elections,” said that regulations should be put in place to check the trend.

The INEC boss said that campaign finance tracking and reporting by staff of the commission would ensure a level playing field for all political parties, candidates and other stakeholders in the electoral process.

He also said that it would curtail the use of state resources to unduly support or undermine a particular political actor or political as well as curtail money laundering.

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Also speaking, one of the resource persons at the workshop, Dhkirulahi Yagboyaju, of the Political Science department of the University of Ibadan, said that political campaign and funding could not be separated.

The university don, however, said that funding of political campaign could be toxic if not checked by relevant regulatory organizations, adding that campaign finance tracking/reporting would form an integral part of a free and fair electoral environment.

“Examples that readily come to mind include what happened in Anambra state between a financier and a state governor. The development culminated in the abduction of the state governor then among other ugly developments. Also in Oyo state when a state governor was removed from office amidst political brigandage,” he said.