EFCC Arrests 20 for ‘Vote Buying’, Recovers N17m During FCT Council Election

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says its operatives arrested 20 suspects for sundry electoral offences, including alleged vote buying during the Saturday’s area council elections held across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In a statement posted on its X handle on Sunday, the ant-graft agency said operatives also recovered more than N17 million from some of the suspects.

According to the statement, the suspects were arrested for various electoral offences, including vote buying and vote selling.

“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,” the statement reads.

“Two of the suspects were arrested in Abaji; nine in Gwagwalada; four in Kuje and the remaining four in Kwali.”

The EFCC added that the suspects would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.

The FCT council polls recorded low voter turnout and drew allegations of electoral malpractice from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), whose candidates lost across several areas of the territory.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) secured a dominant victory in the elections by winning five out of six chairmanship positions. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won in only Gwagwalada area council.