The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has announced plans to deploy its personnel across all 30 local government areas of Osun State and the Modakeke Area Office to monitor and prevent vote buying during the August 15 governorship election.

The Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner (RACC) in Osun State, Yussuf Olatunji, disclosed this on Thursday in Osogbo during a public sensitisation campaign organised to discourage electoral malpractice, particularly vote trading.

As part of the awareness exercise, ICPC officials, alongside representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and civil society organisations, marched through major parts of Osogbo, including Igbonna Market and Alekuwodo, urging residents to reject financial inducements in exchange for their votes.

Speaking with journalists after the rally, Olatunji said the commission was determined to protect the credibility of the election by ensuring that anyone caught engaging in vote buying or vote selling would be arrested and prosecuted.

He described the campaign as an effort to remind voters that their ballots should not be exchanged for money or other incentives, stressing that protecting the integrity of the electoral process is a shared responsibility.

According to him, although financial inducements may offer temporary benefits, they ultimately weaken democratic institutions by encouraging the emergence of leaders who are not chosen on merit.

Olatunji warned that the long-term consequences of vote trading include poor governance, inadequate public infrastructure, unemployment, insecurity and declining public trust in elected officials.

He urged voters to consider the lasting impact of their choices, noting that the money received for selling a vote is quickly exhausted, while the effects of electing ineffective leaders can persist for years.

The ICPC official also called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully and within the confines of the law. He said elections should be decided by competing ideas, credible policies, leadership competence and character rather than financial influence or inducement.