The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has warned against acts of electoral corruption in the Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi off-cycle elections.
This was as the Commission also disclosed the deployment of its operatives to monitor the upcoming governorship elections in the states scheduled for Saturday, 11th November 2023.
According to a statement issued by the ICPC’s spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua on Thursday, it was revealed that the Commission’s operatives have been deployed to the 56 local government areas and 649 wards to monitor and prevent vote buying and other electoral malpractices at the various polling units during the electoral exercise.
The Commission disclosed that the monitoring exercise was 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 were free and fair.
While addressing operatives before their deployment, the Commission’s Head of Special Duty Division (SDD), Alex Chukwura, called on operatives to collaborate with the Military, Police, Department of State Security (DSS), other security agencies, and INEC to ensure that the elections were conducted free and fair.
He charged operatives to strictly adhere to the ICPC guidelines for monitoring elections, adding that “officers should always act with discipline and imbibe the spirit of integrity while on the field, staying close to each other and working as a team to achieve the desired goal”.
Officers were advised to take necessary actions against perpetrators of any acts of corruption by the law, no matter their social status in the election processes.
Voters in the three states aforementioned were 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.
