Gesila Khan, INEC Commissioner

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested  Mrs Gesila Khan,   former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC) in Rivers State in connection with a N650.9  million slush money, suspected to be bribes meant to induce and others to rig election, a report said today.

Gesila who is now the REC in Cross River state was arrested by the  EFCC on Wednesday in Port Harcourt. Four other persons were arrested with her.

Her arrest was reported on Friday by TheNEWS, with Ijaw National Youth Council threatening fire and brimstone if she was not released on bail. She was subsequently transferred to Abuja.

According to The Nation newspaper, sensitive election materials for the 2015 presidential and senatorial polls have been retrieved from the residences of some of the suspects as were many documents on financial and landed properties.

”Some of the documents are receipts of payments made into their accounts. The suspects allegedly committed the poll bribery fraud in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.” There were indications that many electoral officials in the region may be involved in the money for votes bribery scandal.

Gesila Khan allegedly pocked N185, 842,000 out of the bribe sum under probe by the EFCC.

The other suspects  and the bribe cash against their names are 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 in INEC Akwa Ibom, Immaculata Asuquo–N214,127,000.

According to investigation by our correspondent, all the suspects and their accomplices have made useful statements to EFCC.

A top source said: ” 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.