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Nigerian lawmaker arrested with nearly $500K ahead of vote

Published:Friday | February 24, 2023 | 9:45 AM
Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, Presidential candidate of The New Nigerian Peoples Party, greets his supporters during a final election campaign rally in Kano Nigeria, Thursday, February 23, 2023. On February 25, voters will choose among 18 candidates in a first-round vote to succeed incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, but despite being Africa's largest economy and and one of its top oil producers, Nigeria is in economic crisis. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga)

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Police in Nigeria arrested a lawmaker who allegedly was carrying nearly $500,000 in cash in a battleground state a day before the country's presidential and parliamentary elections, raising fresh concerns Friday about the influence of money in the vote.

Chinyere Igwe, a member of Nigeria's House of Representatives, was found travelling with the money inside a bag in his car around 2 a.m. along with a distribution list, Rivers state police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko said.

It is illegal to move undeclared cash of more than $10,000 in Nigeria. Authorities were interrogating the lawmaker Friday, Iringe-Koko said.

Authorities in Kano state, meanwhile, announced the arrests of more than 60 “suspected thugs with dangerous weapons” after supporters of political parties clashed Thursday.

Local media reported one person was burned to death in the violence.

Nigerian voters are heading to the polls Saturday to select a new president following the second and final term of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

They also are electing a new national legislature.

Three front-runners have emerged from a field of 18 presidential candidates, including the ruling party's Bola Tinubu and the main opposition party's Atiku Abubakar. Most polls have favoured Peter Obi, a third-party hopeful.

The election comes amid a currency shortage in Africa's most populous nation, raising concerns about whether it will affect voter turnout.

Authorities announced the switch to a new naira note in November, but the change has led to shortfalls of bank notes nationwide.

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