Efcc Arrests Inec Commissioner, 4 Others Over N650m Scam

SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, (THEWILL) – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Cross River State, Gesila Khan and four others over alleged corruption in the 2015 general elections.

According to EFCC sources, the suspects are being held for a N650.9million 2015 poll bribery scandal allegedly committed in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

They added that election materials for the 2015 presidential and senatorial polls were also retrieved from the residences of some of the suspects as well as many documents on financial and landed properties.

There were strong indications that many INEC staff and Ad-hoc workers benefitted from the bribe-for-poll results scandal with documents showing receipts of payments made into their accounts.

Khan allegedly pocketed N185, 842,000 of the bribe sum while The other suspects allegedly got the following:

Fidelia Omoile (Electoral Officer in Isoko-South Local Government Area of Delta State)–N112,480,000; Uluochi Obi Brown (INEC's Administrative Secretary in Delta State)–N111,500,000; a former Deputy Director of INEC in Cross River state, Edem Okon Effanga—N241,127,000 and the Head of Voter Education, INEC, Akwa Ibom, Immaculata Asuquo–N214,127,000.

A top source said added that during the preliminary grilling of Khan, she admitted that she went to a bank to identify one Peter Popnen (who is on the run) to collect N185, 842,000.

“Many INEC staff and Ad-hoc workers benefited from the loot. We are probing the sources of these slush funds which were deployed in some of these states to bribe INEC staff.

“Certainly, we are looking into many accounts which were used by some INEC staff.

“EFCC may have no choice than to approach a court for a warrant to detain them.

“I think we may go to court on Monday accordingly,” the source disclosed.

Story by David Oputah