By Chijioke Okoronkwo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says a cashless policy, when effectively operated in Nigeria, can help stem the surge of illicit election financing by making it possible to track funds.

Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the vice president received a delegation of the EU Election Observation Mission led by Mr Barry Andrews.

The EU Chief Observer is also a member of the European Parliament.

“I think that what we should be looking at is to provide more infrastructures.

“ The cashless thing has been really advantageous and helps with tracking.

“That sort of infrastructure is useful for more financial inclusion and the more financial inclusion you have, the easier it is to track.

“So much money can be spent without it being tracked under the current election financing practices in the country.’’

Osinbajo acknowledged the serious difficulty in controlling election financing because of cash transactions.

According to him, there are still infrastructure issues required to be in place to ensure an efficient cashless system in the country.

“With cash transactions, it is still difficult to seriously control election financing.’’

On electoral offences, the vice president said the Electoral Offences Commission Bill was at the National Assembly.

He said he hoped that it would begin a new regime of dealing with electoral offences which would be helpful.

“By and large, one shouldn’t expect INEC to be the investigator of electoral offences.

“I think that law enforcement agencies should be responsible for arresting and prosecuting offenders, state by state.

“Electoral offences are always seen through a political prism; people will always feel that they are being prosecuted because they belong to a certain party.

“What is more important is that we have to find a system where the police could have a special unit for offences during the course of elections.

“The Federal High Courts could also have a special jurisdiction to deal with offences and not extend beyond the Federal High Courts.”

On the role of the judicial system, Osinbajo said that more attention should be paid to the monitoring of tribunals and their outcomes, calling for more scrutiny from the National Judicial Council.

He disclosed that discussions had been had in the past concerning malfeasance on the part of some judges and those found guilty should be brought to the fore.

“There should be sanctions and that way, we would be able to clean up and correct some of the problems,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Andrews said that the mission would be monitoring the elections coming up next month and hope for a peaceful and fair electoral process.

According to him, it is the 7th time the INEC is inviting the EU Mission to monitor the elections, adding that the team had been in the country since Jan 11 and will be around until the end of March, 2023.

Other members of the delegation include Ms Samuela Isopi, Ambassador, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS and Mr Thomas Boserup, Deputy Chief Observer, EU Election Observation Mission. (NAN)

A former member of the House of representatives for Sumaila and Takai federal Constituency from Kano state Honourable Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila and New Nigeria Peoples party senatorial candidate for Kano south says he inherited politics from home.

The NNPP senatorial candidate stated this during a rally organized by the party at Karaye town in Kano south senatorial district.

Honourable Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila who was a former adviser to President Muhammad Buhari on national assembly matters says learning politics from home made him to play it with decorum and ensuring human dignity.

Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila who is challenging the former Governor of Kano state in the aborted third republic Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya for the Kano south senatorial district ticket said playing responsible politics is the best thing to do at this critical time in Nigeria’s history.

According to Honourable Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila its not proper for the state APC chairman to be making utterances that is meant to overheat the polity .

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“Whenever a politician makes inflammatory statement,those statement is meant to dent the image of where he comes from.”

Honourable Sumaila said during the last Kano Emirate fracas when Governor Ganduje split Kano Emirates ,he and some prominent politicians in Kano made case for the appointment of Abdullahi Abbas as Emir but he was dismissed by Governor Ganduje noting that the Governor listed some incompetent qualities associated with the state APC chairman.

The rally was attended by New Nigeria People’s Party stalwarts and teeming supporters from Kano south senatorial district.

President Muhammadu Buhari approves a 10–day extension of dateline for the cash swap programme from January 31st to February 10

Details later….