EFCC arraigns ‘PDP campaign DG’ over ‘N26m money laundering, vote-buying’ in Kaduna by-election

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) hasarraigned two suspects before a federal high court in Abuja over alleged moneylaundering and vote-buying involving N26 million. In a statement on Wednesday, Dele Oyewale, EFCCspokesperson, said the suspects, Esther Dawaki and Shehu Aliyu Fatange, werebrought before Emeka Nwite, presiding judge, on a five-count charge borderingon conspiracy, money laundering, and accepting cash payments above thethreshold permitted by law. Oyewale said they were arrested on August 16, 2025, inKaduna with N26,463,000, suspected to be earmarked for vote buying during theChikun/Kajuru federal constituency by-election. According to the EFCC spokesperson, the money was discoveredinside a Toyota Corolla belonging to Fatange, parked within a hotel premises inKaduna. Fatange allegedly identified himself as the director-general(DG) of the campaign office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate inthe by-election.One of the charges reads: “That you, Esther Ashivilli Dawaki(F), and others, now at large, on or about the 16th of August 2025, at Kaduna,within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did procure one Shehu AliyuFatange (M) to commit an offence to wit: accepting cash payment of the sum ofN26,000,000.00... without going through a financial institution.” Both defendants pleaded not guilty. M. O. Arumemi, counsel to the EFCC, applied for a trial dateand for the defendants to be remanded in a correctional facility. Defence counsel, E. N. Ogbu and A. A. Ashat, opposed theremand applications, requesting that the defendants be kept in EFCC custodypending the determination of their bail applications. The judge ordered that Dawaki should be remanded at theSuleja correctional centre, while Fatange should be kept at the Kujecorrectional centre. The matter was adjourned to September 15, for the hearing ofbail applications.

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