INEC yet to audit campaign finances of parties since 2018 — Chairman

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has disclosed that the Commission was yet to audit the campaign finances of parties since 2018.

Yakubu speaking in Abuja on Saturday said the law provides the electoral umpire to publish in a number of dailies and submit the report to the National Assembly.

Giving reasons for the Commission’s failure, he said “We haven’t audited the campaign finances of parties since 2018 because that year was an election year.

“Immediately after the 2019 elections, we decided to audit the accounts then COVID-19 set in.

“However, we have engaged firms to audit the accounts and very soon we would publish the report”.

The INEC chairman also disclosed that the commission had responded to the demands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by furnishing the agency with the bank accounts and other financial details of political parties.

The EFCC had launched a discreet investigation into the finances of the 18 political parties in the country and their presidential aspirants following the humongous fees paid for expression of interest and nomination forms by aspirants vying for various elective offices in the parties.

“The commission has responded. We wrote already to the EFCC. They asked for information and we are duty bound to provide that information and we did so”, Yakubu said.