OSOGBO — More than 100 people suspected of being brought into Osun State to participate in Saturday’s governorship election have reportedly been arrested by security operatives.
The individuals were allegedly found with newly issued Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and were said to have been staying at a residence linked to Hon. Abiola Ibrahim, a member of the Osun State House of Assembly.
Reports indicated that the group was apprehended on election day amid heightened security and political tensions across the state.
A video circulating on social media reportedly showed some of the individuals being questioned by security personnel following their arrest.
During the questioning, Ibrahim allegedly acknowledged that the people were staying at his residence and claimed they had been brought together to participate in the election and support the Accord Party.
Ibrahim is reported to represent the Irewole-Isokan constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly.
The circumstances surrounding the alleged movement of the voters into the state, as well as the validity and source of the PVCs reportedly found in their possession, remained unclear at the time of filing this report.
The development comes against the backdrop of heightened concerns over electoral integrity ahead of and during the Osun governorship election.
Earlier, political parties had raised concerns about the handling and distribution of PVCs, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord Party previously calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that unclaimed voter cards were not diverted for electoral purposes.
INEC had also disclosed that 1,906,390 PVCs had been collected by registered voters in Osun ahead of the election, representing 81.50 per cent of the state’s 2,339,233 registered voters.
As of the time of reporting, the Osun State Police Command had not publicly issued a detailed statement confirming the reported arrest of the more than 100 alleged voters or explaining the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The development is likely to attract further scrutiny as authorities continue efforts to ensure that the Osun governorship election is conducted peacefully and in accordance with Nigeria’s electoral laws.
