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Electoral offences: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrests 20 suspects for alleged vote-buying in FCT elections.
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Cash recovery: N17,218,700 seized, including N13.5m found in a vehicle near a polling unit.
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Area breakdown: Arrests made in Abaji, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali councils.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 20 suspects over alleged vote-buying and related electoral offences during the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections held on Saturday.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the anti-graft agency said a total of N17,218,700 was recovered from the suspects during coordinated operations across multiple area councils.
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According to the commission, the suspects were apprehended for offences ranging from vote-buying and vote-selling to obstruction of electoral officers. One of the suspects was intercepted with N13.5 million in a vehicle parked near a polling unit in Kwali Area Council.
The breakdown of arrests shows that two suspects were arrested in Abaji, nine in Gwagwalada, four in Kuje, and four in Kwali. The EFCC stated that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The arrests come amid heightened scrutiny of the FCT council polls, where the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured five of the six chairmanship seats declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won in Gwagwalada.
Although INEC concluded the process and declared winners, allegations of vote-buying and electoral malpractice have continued to trail the elections, raising fresh concerns over the integrity of the council polls in the FCT.