Adeleke alleges police collusion with APC thugs to intimidate Osun voters

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused officers of the Nigeria Police Force of allegedly collaborating with suspected All Progressives Congress (APC) thugs to intimidate voters and disrupt the ongoing election in parts of the state. Adeleke made the allegation on Saturday shortly after casting his ballot at Ward 02, Polling Unit 009, in Ede.

The governor claimed that reports from Modakeke and Obaagun indicated that suspected political thugs were causing disturbances, allegedly with the assistance of some police officers, in an attempt to drive voters away from polling locations.

According to Adeleke, voters in the affected areas remained determined to exercise their civic rights despite the alleged intimidation. He said, “As I am voting right now, I have just received a call in Modakeke and Obaagun that the police are aiding them in tearing them so that people can run away. And people are resolute. They just want to perform their civic duty.”

Adeleke further alleged that a ballot box was taken away by suspected thugs in one of the affected locations. He called on security agencies to intervene promptly, warning that continued violence could plunge the state into crisis.

The governor also alleged that a police officer identified by the nickname “London” had been brought from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and deployed to Ede allegedly to disrupt the election.

“His own job is to come and destroy Ede and scare people by shooting, so that they will not vote,” Adeleke alleged, while appealing to the Inspector-General of Police and other security authorities to investigate the claim and redeploy the officer.

“We don’t want him in Osun. We don’t want violence in Osun,” he added.

Adeleke also raised concerns over the process of collating election results. He insisted that results should be collated sequentially from polling units to wards and then to local government areas before reaching the state level.

He argued that bypassing the established process by taking local government results directly to the state capital would be unacceptable and could facilitate electoral malpractice.

The governor further alleged that attempts were being made to introduce fake ballot papers into the process and urged residents of Osun State to remain vigilant.

He reiterated his call for a free and fair election, saying voters should be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights without intimidation or interference.