Vote buying rocks Kogi poll Despite EFCC, ICPC presence

Some voters have been lured with money to vote for a certain party in the ongoing governorship election in Kogi State.

Our correspondent observed that many voters were talking about how they had been offered #5,000 if they voted for a specific political party.

This is happening in spite of the presence of officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in the state to curb vote buying.

Reporters saw such interaction at a polling unit in Miami, around the Adankolo area of the state, where an agent of a certain party was seen keenly watching and trying to see who the voters voted for before making payment at a nearby compound.

Also, the same situation was seen in the Angwa Pawa area of Lokoja, where mostly women were called to a corner and given a certain amount even before they went to cast their votes.

An election observer told newsmen that one of the agents of a certain party approached him to vote for a party with a promise that he (the observer) would be “handsomely rewarded” with N5,000, adding that because he was not wearing his tag as an observer, he was mistaken for a voter.