CITIZENS COMPASS— Some disturbing videos from the Saturday Gubernatorial election in Osun State have captured moments of frustration and confusion across the state.
One of the videos erupted from the Unit 006, Ward 10 of Erin-Osun,
Ifelodun area where voters were visibly dispersed and ballot boxes carted away right in the presence of security operatives.
The trending video was from an eye witness who indicted security operatives and alleged them of complicity at the scene.
The eyewitness alleged that the incident occurred at about 8:31a.m.
The video was with the inscription: “At the unit, where am to vote, the voters were being asked to be on the queue by the INEC officials (3 females) to cast their votes, at exactly 08:31am today, as being supervised by the Nigeria Police Force (3 males and 3 females) officers and with a female Road Safety officer.
Another disturbing video was from the Ikire area where a man was being interviewed by some people believed to be law enforcement personnel.
The visibly distraught man claimed to be a member of a political party.
He was said to be apprehended alongside a teeming population of voters in his house.
The suspect who claimed to be Abiola Ibrahim from Ikire was portrayed as an agent mobilising people to vote for his party.
Ibrahim was said to be found in possession of a lot of voter’s cards.
While the election was ongoing, top aide to the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, alleged that military and police personnel had arrested associates of the governor, surrounded the residence of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly and disrupted the distribution of election materials at a Registration Area Centre in Ife East Local Government Area.
The allegations, which surfaced as voters began arriving at polling units across the state, immediately raised fresh concerns about the security situation surrounding the governorship election and the credibility of the electoral process.
Olalekan Badmus, Special Assistant on Digital Media to Governor Adeleke, made the allegations in a series of posts on his X handle, accompanied by video clips purportedly showing security operatives around some of the locations mentioned.
Badmus alleged that military personnel arrested Banks Omisore and two other individuals in Ile-Ife on Friday night, claiming that their whereabouts remained unknown as voting commenced on Saturday.
“Military men believed to be working for the APC arrested @MrBanksOmisore and two others at Ife yesterday night. Current location is unknown!” he alleged.
The governor’s aide further alleged that Bamkole Omisore, identified as the Special Adviser on Sustainable Development Goals, had also been arrested and remained in military custody at the Ede military cantonment.
“Bamkole Omisore, SA SDG, was arrested illegally last night and still detained at military cantonment, Ede,” Badmus claimed.
The allegations did not stop there.
Badmus also claimed that the residence of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, had been surrounded by police personnel, describing the reported development as an alarming situation on an election day.
“@AOEgbedun house under siege by men of the @PoliceNG. @PremiumTimesng is this an election or coup?” he wrote.
The statement quickly added to the tension surrounding the election, particularly as political parties and their supporters closely monitored the movement and activities of security personnel across the state.
In another post, Badmus accused some police officers of allegedly invading a Registration Area Centre in Ife East Local Government Area and disrupting the distribution of election materials.
He alleged that the incident occurred at Ward 10, Modakeke Ward 3, where tear gas was reportedly fired and election materials allegedly carted away.
The Osun State All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, has expressed confidence in his chances of winning the ongoing Osun State governorship election.
Oyebamiji spoke after casting his vote at Ward 9, Polling Unit 011, Ikire, in Irewole Local Government Area of the state.
Earlier, tension has heightened ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election after two men, who claimed to be political thugs from Edo State, allegedly appeared in a viral video threatening Governor Ademola Adeleke and Afrobeats singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido.
The Police have arrested an officer following an accidental tear gas discharge at a Registration Area Centre in Modakeke during Saturday’s governorship election.
