The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says it has deployed 200 armed operatives to combat vote buying in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa in Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections.

EFCC’s Kano zonal commander Farouk Dogondaji disclosed this in Kano on Thursday.

“We have deployed 50 personnel to monitor the conduct of the election in Kano state, 50 in Jigawa and 50 in Katsina state to prevent vote buying throughout the electoral process,” said Mr Dogondaji.

The remaining officers were deployed to Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano and the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Airport in Katsina.

“We will be visible in nine senatorial districts of the Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states to carefully monitor the entire exercise during and after elections. We will be physically present at collection centres to prevent tampering with results from the local government level to the state,” the EFCC official explained.

Mr Dogondaji added, “We are carefully monitoring the entire exercise along with state security agencies towards providing a peaceful atmosphere for eligible residents to elect leaders of their choice in our areas of supervision.”

He mentioned that the deployment was part of EFCC’s commitment to ensuring credible and transparent elections in the zone, noting that the anti-graft commission and other security agencies would provide an atmosphere conducive for eligible residents to exercise their civil rights at all polling units.

Mr Dogondaji said the EFCC had also adopted measures that would make it difficult for any person or group to tamper with the results of the elections. He called on the personnel to be thorough and professional.

“Our presence is to credibly add value to the electoral process by preventing vote buying and change of results at collation centres to pave the way for the electorate to elect leaders of their choice through a democratic process,” he said.

The EFCC commander stressed that the operation aimed to give Nigerians the opportunity to, without any form of inducement, elect credible leaders committed to the growth and development of the country.

(NAN)