EFCC Moves To Arrest Voters Who Chased Away Operatives During Ekiti Poll

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun efforts to identify and arrest voters who chased its operatives away from a polling unit during the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

It was reported that officials of the anti-graft agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Tuesday, described the incident as unlawful and warned that those involved could face legal consequences.

According to one of the officials, the commission considers the action an attack on its statutory mandate and is determined to ensure that those responsible are brought to account.

“We consider the action unacceptable and unlawful. The commission will not condone criminality. We are on the lookout for those involved,” the official said.

The source further expressed concern over the implications of the incident for future elections, warning that failure to address the matter could encourage similar actions against law enforcement personnel.

“The action of those voters has set a dangerous precedent. If such conduct is allowed to continue, it could embolden others to obstruct law enforcement officers carrying out legitimate assignments during elections.

“If that is the case, we will seriously look into it and the actors in that scenario. We will ensure that we locate them and see what we can do,” the official stated.

The source stressed that members of the public could not arbitrarily prevent officials from carrying out duties assigned to them by law.

“People cannot simply decide to frustrate officials of the commission who are carrying out their statutory responsibilities,” the official added.

The EFCC also insisted that it would not be intimidated in its campaign against vote-buying and other electoral offences.

“We insist that vote-buying is wrong, and we are not going to condone it. We are not going to allow anybody to intimidate us. We will not succumb to any form of harassment.

“We will continue to fight vote-buying and sanitise the electoral process. That responsibility has been entrusted to us, and we will not abandon it because of threats or resistance from any quarter,” the official said.

The incident occurred during Saturday's governorship election in Ekiti State when EFCC operatives reportedly arrived at Polling Unit 10, Ward B, in Iyin-Ekiti, to monitor alleged vote-buying activities.

Witnesses said some voters questioned the presence of the anti-graft agency's personnel at the polling unit and challenged their deployment, leading to a confrontation that eventually forced the operatives to withdraw from the area.

Despite the altercation, the EFCC officials reportedly left peacefully, while voting continued without any disruption.

The commission has, in recent years, intensified its participation in election monitoring exercises across the country as part of broader efforts to tackle vote-buying and other forms of financial inducement that undermine the credibility of Nigeria's electoral process.

However, the latest incident has heightened concerns within the agency over the safety of its operatives and the ability of law enforcement officers to effectively carry out their responsibilities during elections.