TheCable

The Center for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), a civil society organisation, has advised politicians and the electorate against money politics and vote buying ahead of the Imo governorship poll. 

The Imo governorship election will hold on November 11 alongside those of Bayelsa and Kogi.

Faith Nwadishi, executive director of CTA, made the plea during a meeting with stakeholders and security agencies in Owerri, the Imo capital city. 

“Our politicians and electorate, let us do away with money politics and vote buying. This practice, to a larger extent, contribute to the floppy electoral process in the country which cannot guarantee transparency and credibility of an election,” she said.

“Unfortunately, some of these wrong practices are being perpetrated in the presence of law enforcement agents at polling units. This is indeed a sad situation.”

Nwadishi added that CTA has trained over 100 staff to monitor the election in all the 27 LGAs of the state.

“The Center for Transparency Advocacy as an accredited election monitoring body will be fully on ground to take  stock of the November 11 Imo governorship election in the state,” she said.

“We will be deploying over 100 personnel and assign them to various LGAs of the state to carry out the election monitoring.

“As I speak, these observers are undergoing special training to that effect.

“The very essence of this stakeholders meeting is to brainstorm with the electoral umpire and of course various security agencies in the state to work in harmony towards achieving success in the forthcoming Imo governorship election.”

In attendance at the meeting was representatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPR), Department of State Security (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).