By Demola Akinyemi

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said no one will be allowed to bring food, phones or cars to polling centres in Kwara State to check any act capable of encouraging electoral fraud during the forthcoming elections.

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Speaking at an all-inclusive stakeholders forum in Ilorin yesterday ahead of the elections, INEC state Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Garba Madami, said the electoral body now collaborates with anti-graft agencies like Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Independent Corrupt Practices and other offenses Commission, ICPC, to monitor vote buying and selling.

Madami, who said vehicles would not be allowed near polling centres during the election, added “you can’t bring in your phone to polling booth to snap picture of your ballot paper to show who you have voted for.”

He said politicians had in the past brought in money in vehicles to polling centres to buy votes, saying “now, anti-graft agencies like EFCC and the ICPC are now monitoring vote buyers and sellers because of our collaboration with them. That is why money is not circulating in this campaign unlike before.

“Our card readers and PVC are working well now. That is why politicians are desperate to go for vote buying. If we succeed in this, we would have credible election.”

The REC, who said that February 8 is the last day for PVC collection, added that there were over 300,000 PVCs yet to be collected in the state.

He announced that voting would take place in 2,886 polling points across the state and no one would be disenfranchised as long as they have PVC.

Madami also said pregnant women, old people and physically-challenged persons would be given preference to vote without queuing.