Vote buying: ICPC Deploys Operatives to Monitor Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi Guber Election

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in a bid to curtail vote-buying and other electoral malpractices, has deployed its officials to monitor this Saturday’s off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi State.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to conduct an election in the three states tomorrow, November 11, 2023.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the Spokesperson of the ICPC, Azuka Ogugua, said the commission has dispatched its agents to all 56 local government areas and 649 Wards in the three states where the election is scheduled to take place.

According to Ogugua, the agents have been tasked with monitoring and preventing vote buying and other electoral misconduct at the polling stations.

““The monitoring exercise is a response to the invitation by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for ICPC to participate in ensuring that the electoral processes in these three states are free and fair,” she said, adding that the ICPC Head of Special Duties Division (SDD), Alex Chukwura, has tasked the operatives to collaborate with other sister agencies during the exercise.

Before their deployment, Chukwura instructed the operatives to collaborate with various security agencies, including the Military, Police, Department of State Security, and INEC, to ensure that the elections were conducted in a free and fair manner.

The SDD head emphasized the importance of following ICPC guidelines for monitoring elections. He urged officers to maintain discipline and integrity while working together to achieve their objectives.

In addition to collaborating with other security agencies, Chukwura advised the operatives to take necessary actions against any individuals involved in corrupt activities during the election, regardless of their social status, following the law.