An Independent Corrupt Practices Commission officer was detained after being found in possession of large sums of money during Saturday’s governorship election in Imo State. The official is an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official.
When the INEC officer was watching the elections at Township Primary School, Ikenegbu 1, Polling Unit 005, in the Owerri Municipal Local Government Area, the anti-corruption agency apprehended him.
The money was allegedly provided by an unidentified party to INEC employees for the purpose of vote-buying, which has long been a danger to the integrity of Nigerian elections.
In order to keep an eye on off-cycle elections and prevent electoral fraud, such as vote buying and selling, the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sent officers to Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa.
Prior to this, in the Kogi governorship election on Saturday, party agents bribed voters in Lokoja to support their candidates.
The agents set up shop 500 meters from the polling places, where they offered voters money in an attempt to persuade them to support their chosen politicians.
Depending on their negotiating power or charisma, voters received anything from N3,000 to N5,000.
