‘To prevent vote buying’ — ICPC deploys operatives for Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi polls

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has deployed its operatives to monitor the upcoming governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states.

The elections are slated for November 11 in the three states.

In a statement on Thursday, Azuka Ogugua, the ICPC spokesperson, said the commission’s operatives have been deployed to 56 LGAs and 649 wards in the three states.

Ogugua said the operatives are to prevent vote buying and other electoral malpractices at the various polling units during the elections.

“The monitoring exercise is a response to the invitation by the Chairman of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for ICPC to participate in ensuring that the electoral processes in these three states are free and fair,” the statement reads.

According to the statement, Alex Chukwura, the ICPC head of special duty division (SDD), urged the operatives to collaborate with INEC, the military, police, Department of State Security (DSS), other security agencies, to ensure that the elections were conducted free and fair.

Chukwura charged operatives to strictly adhere to the ICPC guidelines for monitoring elections.

He added that officers should always act with discipline and imbibe the spirit of integrity while on the field.

“Furthermore, officers were advised to take necessary actions against perpetrators of any acts of corruption in accordance with the law, no matter their social status in the election processes,” he said.

“Voters in the three states aforesaid are charged to go out on Election Day and perform their civic responsibilities while avoiding any act that could lead to electoral and other related offences.”