ICPC Nabs Vote Buyers In 5 States

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has announced the arrest of nine persons for vote buying in Osun, Ondo, Borno, Akwa Ibom and Sokoto States during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections on Saturday.

In a statement by the Commission’s spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua on Saturday, four vote buyers were arrested by the Osun State Office of the ICPC, two persons were arrested by the Sokoto State Office while one person each was arrested by the Ondo, Akwa Ibom and Borno Offices of the anti-graft agency.

In the course of his interrogation, Bahausa confessed that the money was given to him by a lawmaker to distribute to voters.

The Akwa Ibom State Office of the ICPC arrested a woman, Mrs. Idara Umoren, for collating the names and account details of voters suspected to have voted for her preferred candidate.

Umoren was arrested at the Signature Hotel Polling Unit on Plot 48G Line, Ewet Housing Estate, Akwa Ibom.

ICPC operatives has in Sokoto arrested two persons – Hassan Muhammad and Nafisa Sani – for vote buying at the Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto.

Hassan Muhammad was caught in possession of signed tickets which were given to voters that voted for his party.

The ticket enabled the voters to be given women wrappers and bags of rice.

Nafisa Sani was intercepted while giving wrappers to voters at a polling unit in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto.

The ICPC Team also monitored the election in the Federal Capital Territory where it observed that INEC officials exhibited pronounced slackness in the administration of the elections in Lambata and Yebu Polling Units of Kwali Area Council.

Accreditation and voting were yet to commence in many polling units of the Kwali Area Council due to inadequate supply of electoral materials.

The ICPC operatives visited the INEC Office in Kwali Area Council to compel the officers in charge to provide voting materials which aided the commencement of the exercise in the area council.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, OFR, has commended the officers of the ICPC State Offices and the Headquarters for diligently monitoring the Presidential and National Assembly elections across the Federation, thereby curtailing vote buying by some representatives of political parties.

He directed the State Offices to carry out a detailed investigation of all those arrested for acts of corruption during the election on Saturday.

The Commission had on Friday taken into custody one Hassan Ahmad who was in possession of the sum of two million naira cash in both old and new currencies in Bauchi State.

Ahmad was arrested by the Troops of 33 Artillery Brigade Operation Safe Conduct deployed to Alkaleri in Bauchi State and handed over to the Bauchi State Office of the anti-corruption.