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Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 20 persons for alleged electoral offences linked to the just-concluded local government elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), recovering more than ₦17 million suspected to have been earmarked for vote buying.
The arrests, according to a statement posted on the commission’s official X handle on Sunday, were carried out on Saturday, February 21, 2026, across several FCT area councils.
Providing details, the EFCC said the suspects were picked up in Abaji, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali during coordinated enforcement operations.
“Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Saturday, February 21, 2026, arrested 20 suspects for sundry electoral offences in the just-concluded Federal Capital Territory, FCT, local government elections.
“The suspects were arrested across the FCT, for offences ranging from vote buying, vote selling to obstruction of officers to the tune of N17,218,700.00k (Seventeen Million, Two Hundred and Eighteen Thousand, Seven Hundred Naira only).
“One of the suspects was arrested with a sum of N13,500,000 (Thirteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) in a car parked beside a polling booth in the Kwali Local Government Area.
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“Two of the suspects were arrested in Abaji; nine in Gwagwalada; four in Kuje, and the remaining four in Kwali,” the statement read.
The anti-graft agency said the suspects would be arraigned in court after the conclusion of investigations.
The February 21 elections, conducted across the six FCT area councils—Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali and Abuja Municipal Area Council—were marred by reports of inducement at polling units.
Election observers, including the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD–West Africa), reported instances where voters were allegedly offered between ₦1,000 and ₦5,000, particularly in Gwagwalada and Kuje.
Results released on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning five of the six chairmanship seats, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured one.
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