During the Imo State gubernatorial election, an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official was detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) for possessing a substantial amount of cash.
In the Owerri Municipal Local Government Area, at Polling Unit 005, Township Primary School, Ikenegbu 1, Naija News has learned that INEC personnel was apprehended.
The money was purportedly offered to the official by an unidentified party with the intention of purchasing votes, a widespread problem that erodes the legitimacy of Nigerian elections.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Coronary Panel Commission (ICPC) sent agents to observe off-cycle elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa in order to combat electoral fraud, which includes vote buying and selling.
As previously reported, party agents in Kogi State’s ongoing off-cycle election have taken to bribing voters in Lokoja to get their support for their preferred candidates.
According to reports, the aforementioned agents were stationed roughly 500 meters away from the polling places, and they gave voters cash in return for their support. Each voter received a different amount of money, ranging from N3,000 to N5,000, based on their unique traits and negotiating abilities, Gistlover has learned.
