The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Osun State, Najeem Salaam, has alleged that voters are being intimidated and prevented from casting their ballots in Ifewara. According to a firsthand report from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) Situation Room, Mr Salaam said the incident involves a group linked to Babatunde Komolafe, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the House of Assembly.
Allegations of Voter Card Destruction
Mr Salaam claimed that the group is forcefully collecting voter cards and breaking them to stop affected voters from participating in the election. “They do that by forcefully collecting voter cards from the voters and breaking them so that they won’t vote,” he said.
He also alleged that the group arrived with “an instrument of intimidation, which is thuggery.” The ADC candidate described Mr Komolafe as a three-time member of the Osun State House of Assembly.
Arrest and Release of APC Candidate
Mr Salaam said Mr Komolafe and others in the group were arrested on Thursday after a navy officer allegedly found a gun in their campaign vehicle. However, they were released on Friday. He further alleged that the same group was causing trouble in Ifewara during the election.
The allegation follows the condemnation by the Imole Campaign Council of Governor Ademola Adeleke of the reported release of Mr Komolafe. Vanguard reported on Friday that the campaign council said Mr Komolafe and his supporters were arrested by naval personnel in Ifewara after a gun was allegedly found during a search of an APC campaign vehicle.
Campaign Council's Response
The campaign council also alleged that the suspects were released following pressure from senior APC figures. It praised the Nigerian Navy for its professionalism and neutrality during the election period but said the reported release of a suspect allegedly found with an unauthorised firearm was unacceptable.
Other reports also indicated that Mr Komolafe was released after his arrest, although the circumstances surrounding the release were not officially confirmed by the Nigerian Navy. Mr Salaam’s allegation that the same group was involved in intimidating voters and destroying voter cards in Ifewara could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.
