Chinyere Igwe, a Nigerian politician, was arrested on the eve of an election with $500,000 in his possession

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A Nigerian politician was arrested for alleged money laundering after being discovered with $498,100 (£414,000) in cash a day before federal elections.

Police discovered heaps of US money inside Chinyere Igwe's automobile.

According to police, Mr Igwe, an opposition PDP member of the House of Representatives, was also found with a list of persons to whom the money should be sent.

Politicians have previously been accused of manipulating elections through vote buying.

Nigeria recently introduced new banknotes, in part to make it more difficult for politicians to collect enormous quantities of money in order to buy votes.

Nevertheless, not enough of the new notes have been distributed, causing significant outrage and discontent. People have been waiting for hours outside banks, frequently without results, and some have even stormed institutions.

40% of Nigerians do not have bank accounts and must rely on cash to buy food and other necessities.

Police in Rivers State, where Mr Igwe was detained, advised "all competitors and political parties to rigorously comply with requirements of the Election Act and other related legislation" in a Twitter thread.

Mr Igwe, who represents a portion of the southern city of Port Harcourt, has yet to respond.

The polls are expected to be the most competitive since the end of military rule in 1999, with three contenders - Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress - all considered as possible victors.

The president of the country's electoral commission, Inec, told BBC's Peter Okwoche that the authorities are ready for the vote on Saturday.

"Reports around the country indicate that materials are being delivered to the local governments as planned," said Mahmood Yakubu.

Mr Yakubu went on to declare that security agencies had "assured" Inec that the poll would proceed well.

There were fears that the election would be canceled in parts of the country, which is dealing with an Islamist insurgency in the north-east, a nationwide kidnapping-for-ransom crisis, and a separatist insurgency in the south-east.

Oyibo Chukwu, a senatorial candidate for the opposition Labour Party, was assassinated on Wednesday in south-eastern Enugu State while returning after campaigning. The police have blamed the deaths on the separatist organization Ipob. Ipob has yet to respond.

To prevent foreign nationals from voting on Saturday, the authorities have ordered the closure of all land borders beginning at midnight and lasting 24 hours.
Police in Rivers State, where Mr Igwe was detained, advised "all competitors and political parties to rigorously comply with requirements of the Election Act and other related legislation" in a Twitter thread.

Mr Igwe, who represents a portion of Port Harcourt's southern metropolis, has yet to remark on the topic.

The polls are expected to be the most competitive since the end of military rule in 1999, with three contenders - Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress - all considered as possible victors.

The president of the country's electoral commission, Inec, told BBC's Peter Okwoche that the authorities are ready for the vote on Saturday.

Inec announced on Thursday that a total of 87.2 million voter cards had been collected. More than 93 million individuals had registered to vote, which implies that six million people had not received their cards and hence would be unable to vote.

There have been complaints of people being unable to pick up their cards. There was one recorded example of voter cards being abandoned in a bush only to be retrieved by a hunter.

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