The Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO) have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prioritize curbing vote-buying and selling in the upcoming September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
Coordinator-General Omobude Agho urged the EFCC to focus on this critical task, stating, “We hope that the EFCC can for once wake up to one of its major responsibilities by channelling its energy to chase after vote buyers and sellers during this election, which is more of national sabotage than chasing after ‘Yahoo boys’.”
Agho emphasized the importance of allowing the will of the people to prevail, saying, “Power belongs to the people. I urged the security agencies not to make themselves a willing tool in the hands of any of the political parties participating in the forthcoming governorship election with the intent to rig it, but should allow the will of the people prevail.”
He added, “We shall ensure that this election is done in the most tranquil and transparent circumstances where nobody, however highly placed, is allowed to truncate the will of the people. We therefore insist that the Independent National Electoral Commission give Edo people assurance by its actions and activities that it is ready to conduct a free, fair and credible election in the state.”
Agho also condemned recent shootings at the Benin Airport, calling on the Inspector General of Police to investigate, and urged political parties to focus on issues-based campaigns rather than engaging in mudslinging and verbal attacks.
