2011: EFCC WARNS AGAINST FIELDING CORRUPT POLITICIANS

The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri has warned against fielding politicians indicted over corruption charges in the forthcoming elections, describing such attempts as risky.

In spite of aborted moves to shut out some politicians from contesting the forthcoming general elections through an advisory list of politicians indicted, Waziri insisted it was a risky venture fielding such persons for elective offices.

Speaking yesterday at the Commission's head office in Abuja while receiving the Head of Service of the Federation (HOS), Professor Oladapo Afolabi who paid her a courtesy visit, the EFCC boss gave the indication that going by available evidence before her, some candidates for the April polls would eventually be disgraced out of office over graft after being successfully elected into office.

'I would have been disturbed with what is going on at the primaries of the various political parties, but these are primaries. To pick a ticket does not necessarily mean you are going to win at the end of the elections; so let's watch and see. But you know that there was this provision in the constitution about administrative indictment. That was enough to disqualify someone, but it was changed.

I don't know why. Now, it says that it has to be conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction. Well, I am not quarrelling with that; let's just wait and see those who would eventually get elected, and yet, I will also wait to see after the elections what the outcome of the courts would be; because it would be so disgraceful to be dragged from the senate and taken to prison after the elections. That is all I have to say for now,' Waziri noted while responding to a reporter's question over the integrity of aspirants jostling for elective positions in the next elections.

Reiterating the statutory powers conferred on the commission in Section 7(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act, Waziri said the agency could cause investigations to be conducted into the properties of any person if it appears to the commission that the person's lifestyle and extent of the properties are not justified by his source of income.