- Davido alleges soldiers are trying to prevent him from entering Osun on election day.
- Movement across Osun is restricted from midnight until 6:00 p.m. as part of election security measures.
- Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad dismisses Davido’s claim as “dramatic.”
Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has alleged that soldiers are attempting to prevent him from entering Osun State as residents head to the polls for the state’s governorship election on Saturday.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Davido made the allegation in a post on his verified X account in the early hours of Saturday.
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“I’ve been reliably informed that soldiers are trying to prevent me from entering Osun tomorrow, this won’t happen, every citizen of Nigeria has the right to movement at any point of time,” he wrote.
His claim came hours after the Nigeria Police Force announced movement restrictions across Osun State as part of security measures for the election.
The restriction took effect from 12:00 midnight on Friday, August 14, and is expected to remain in place until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 15.
Thousands of police officers and other security personnel have been deployed across the state to maintain law and order during the poll.
Davido, who is a nephew of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, has been actively campaigning for his uncle, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
Governor Adeleke is facing challengers including the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and other candidates in the off-cycle election.
Davido’s allegation has generated reactions on social media, with some users linking the reported incident to the general restriction of movement announced for election day, while others questioned whether the singer was being specifically targeted.
Former presidential media aide Bashir Ahmad dismissed Davido’s claim as “dramatic” and argued that the movement restriction was a standard election security measure.
Ahmad said security agencies had already announced that movement within Osun would be restricted from midnight until 6:00 p.m. on election day.
He added that the constitutional right to freedom of movement does not exempt citizens from complying with lawful security measures introduced to ensure a peaceful and credible election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission is conducting the Osun governorship election amid heightened security arrangements across the state.
The election is expected to determine whether Adeleke secures a second term or hands over power to a new governor.
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