A collation officer of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kogi state on Sunday
presented a N50,000 bribe politicians allegedly offered to a presiding officer
in Igalamela-Odolu local government area of the state during Saturday’s
election.
There was widespread financial
inducement by politicians during the election.
The collation officer presented
the money at the INEC head office in the state while submitting the result of
the local government he coordinated.
However, he did not disclose
details of the political party which offered the money.
In its preliminary report on the
Kogi election, The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) said the
enlistment of anti-graft agencies by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) could not check vote buying.
“Notwithstanding that INEC
enlisted the EFCC and the ICPC to assist in curtailing vote-buying, vote-buying
was very rampant across the state,” it said in its report.
“CDD observers reported that
party agents in several polling units engaged in the financial inducement of
voters to influence them to vote for the parties.The cost of a vote ranges
between N500 and N3,000.
“Voters were also intimidated,
followed into the voting cubicles and forcefully coerced, to vote for
candidates against their wishes. The coordinated disruption of the electoral
process by hoodlums mobilised by the political parties undermines the integrity
of the electoral process.”
On the election eve, the
organisation had said politicians offered some electoral observers $1,000 each
“to buy their conscience”.
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