Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have detained 20 individuals over alleged electoral offences during the recently concluded Federal Capital Territory local government elections.
The commission also reportedly recovered more than N20 million suspected to have been earmarked for vote buying.
In a statement shared on its official X handle on Sunday, the EFCC disclosed that the arrests were carried out on Saturday, February 21, 2026, in different parts of the FCT.
According to the agency, the suspects were apprehended in Abaji (2), Gwagwalada (9), Kuje (4), and Kwali (4).
“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.
“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 added that the suspects would face prosecution after investigations are concluded.
The February 21 polls, conducted across the six FCT area councils — Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) — were marred by reports of voter inducement.
Observers, including representatives of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), recorded incidents where voters were allegedly offered between ₦1,000 and ₦5,000 at several polling units, especially in Gwagwalada and Kuje.
Results announced by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday indicated that the All Progressives Congress won five of the six chairmanship seats, while the Peoples Democratic Party secured one.
