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 to elect their governor on Saturday.
Davido, a nephew of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, raised the alarm in a post on his verified X account early Saturday, insisting that he has a constitutional right to move freely within the country.
“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.”
His allegation came shortly after the Nigeria Police Force announced a restriction of movement across Osun State from 12:00 midnight on Friday, August 14, until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 15, as part of security arrangements for the governorship election.
Thousands of police officers and other security personnel have been deployed across the state to maintain law and order during the exercise.
Davido has been actively campaigning for his uncle, who is seeking re-election under the Accord Party. Governor Adeleke is facing, among others, the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
The singer’s claim generated widespread reactions online, with some users attributing any restrictions he might face to the general movement ban announced for election day, while others questioned whether the singer was being singled out because of his political affiliation.
Former presidential media aide Bashir Ahmad dismissed Davido’s complaint as “dramatic”, arguing that the restriction applies generally to residents and visitors across the state.
“You are just dramatic, @davido. It has been widely announced by the security operators that movement in and around Osun will be restricted from 12 midnight today until 6 pm today due to the election and this is a standard security measure during elections anywhere not peculiar to Osun.
“So the right to freedom of movement does not mean ignoring lawful security measures put in place to ensure a peaceful and credible election,” Ahmad wrote.
The controversy comes as security agencies tighten movement controls across Osun ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, with authorities urging residents and political actors to comply with measures put in place to ensure a peaceful exercise.
