As Nigerians in Kogi and Bayelsa states go to the polls for the governorship elections, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it would monitor the elections.
The commission, in a statement disclosed that its monitoring team would be on the lookout for vote-buying and selling, as well as other corruption-related acts.
“The monitoring exercise is in response to the invitation by the Chairman of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for ICPC to participate in ridding the electoral processes in Nigeria of corrupt practices.
“This intervention is also in furtherance of ICPC’s current strategy of engaging in exercises that have macro rather than micro impact on various sectors of the country for the benefit of the generality of citizens as it is doing with Constituency Projects tracking and highway corruption where sundry acts of corruption are being tackled with commendable results.
According to the commission, the infractions contravene sections 8 and 9 in addition to other relevant provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
“The Commission’s operatives have therefore been primed to deal appropriately with perpetrators of any acts of corruption in accordance with the law, no matter their social status in both gubernatorial elections.”
The ICPC also urged voters to go out and exercise their franchise in accordance with the law.
“Voters in both states are therefore enjoined to go out on election day and perform their civic obligations while eschewing all acts that can make them run afoul of the law.”
Meanwhile in Kogi state, total of 24 parties are taking part in the election. Although the registered voters in the state are 1,646,350, about 1,485,828 (90.2%) have collected their PVCs and are thus ready to vote in the 21 local governments of the state.
The state governor, Yahaya Bello who is also the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), hails from the central district of the state and hopes to make history as the first governorship candidate outside of Kogi East Senatorial District to be elected as governor.
His major challenger, Musa Wada, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is from Kogi East, the region with nearly twice the voting population of each of the other two districts. This setting offers an interesting contest with Kogi West having the potential to be the battleground for both candidates.
However in Bayelsa state, where the electorates will elect a new governor, a total of 45 political parties are taking part in the election to govern the oil-rich state.
The contest is, however, expected to be between David Lyon of the APC and Duoye Diri of the PDP.
Although Bayelsa has 923,182 registered voters, 889,308 (96.3 per cent) collected their permanent voters cards (PVCs) and are thus eligible to vote in the eight local government areas of the state.
