EFCC Nabs 20 Over ₦17m Vote-Buying Scheme in FCT Polls

​ABUJA – In a significant crackdown on democratic subversion, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has apprehended 20 individuals suspected of orchestrating a massive vote-buying scheme during the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections held on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

​The anti-graft agency’s tactical teams, deployed to monitor the integrity of the polls, recovered a staggering total of ₦17,218,700 in cash from the suspects. The arrests highlight a persistent challenge to Nigeria’s electoral transparency, even as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deployed Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) technology across the territory’s 2,822 polling units.

​The Kwali Cash Haul

​The most high-profile arrest occurred in the Kwali Area Council, where a suspect was caught with ₦13.5 million stashed in a vehicle parked strategically beside a polling booth. EFCC investigators believe the funds were intended for the mass inducement of voters.

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​Beyond the Kwali incident, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the arrests were spread across several strategic hotspots:

• ​Gwagwalada: 9 suspects
• ​Kuje: 4 suspects
• ​Kwali: 4 suspects (including the vehicle haul)
• ​Abaji: 2 suspects

​Charges and Investigation

​The suspects are currently facing allegations ranging from direct vote buying and selling to the obstruction of EFCC officers performing their lawful duties. The Commission has emphasized that these operations are part of a broader mandate to safeguard the 2026 local polls, which many see as a litmus test for the 2027 general elections..

​”The suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations,” Oyewale stated, reiterating the agency’s zero-tolerance policy for financial crimes within the electoral process.

​While the elections were described as generally peaceful by observers, the EFCC’s intervention in Gwagwalada—where nine suspects were nabbed—parallels the high political stakes in that council, which was the only one of the six won by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while the All Progressives Congress (APC) dominated the remaining five.