OSUN POLL: ADELEKE FAULTS BVAS DELAYS, ALLEGES POLICE BIAS AS REPORTS POINT TO LARGELY PEACEFUL VOTIN
Governor Raises Concerns in Olorunda and Irewole, but Allegations Remain Unverified as Collation Begins
By Headlinenews.News
Governor Ademola Adeleke has expressed dissatisfaction with preliminary reports from the Osun State governorship election, alleging widespread delays involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and intimidation of his supporters in parts of the state.
Speaking on Osun Radio, Adeleke claimed that BVAS machines were malfunctioning or operating slowly at several polling units, leaving voters waiting for accreditation.
“Right now, there are complaints that BVAS are not working well. I am not happy at all,” the governor said.
Adeleke also alleged that thugs were disturbing voters in Olorunda and Irewole Local Government Areas. He specifically accused a man identified only as “Enuku” and his associates of intimidating residents and alleged that Police officers were assisting the All Progressives Congress.
“My people are being chased in Ikire. I am still watching them. I don’t know if the Police are working for APC,” Adeleke said, urging his supporters to vote, remain vigilant and defend their ballots.
The allegations are serious and require investigation by the Independent National Electoral Commission and security authorities. Voters must not be intimidated, and every accredited person must be allowed to cast a ballot without interference.
However, Adeleke did not present publicly verifiable evidence establishing widespread BVAS failure, Police collaboration with the APC or the alleged activities attributed to “Enuku.”
Available reports from several polling locations presented a more mixed picture. While delays and technical complaints were recorded in some areas, voting was reported to have proceeded peacefully elsewhere, with BVAS machines functioning and security personnel maintaining order.
Observers and party representatives in some locations commended the conduct of the exercise, although reports from individual polling units cannot establish that conditions were uniform across all 3,763 polling units in the state.
The governor’s complaints must also be considered alongside major security operations conducted before voting.
Police confirmed the arrest of Accord Party lawmaker Abiola Ibrahim Inaolaji alongside a large number of people allegedly brought into Osun from neighbouring states. More than 200 Permanent Voter Cards were reportedly recovered during the operation at his residence.
Reports differ on whether 143, 146 or as many as 300 people were detained or undergoing profiling. Police investigations will have to determine the ownership and authenticity of the PVCs, the eligibility of those arrested and whether any organised attempt was made to compromise the election.
The arrests do not establish Governor Adeleke’s involvement or prove wrongdoing by the Accord Party as an institution. Equally, the governor’s allegations do not establish that security agencies were working for the APC.
Both sets of claims require evidence.
The visible security presence appears to have helped contain the violence feared after a tense campaign week. But officers must remain politically neutral throughout voting, collation and the protection of election materials.
INEC must also investigate every documented BVAS failure and establish whether affected voters were eventually accredited. Technical delays become electoral injustice when they prevent eligible citizens from voting.
The National Patriots commended INEC, security agencies and responsible political stakeholders for the largely peaceful conduct of the election, while insisting that all complaints must be investigated impartially.
The movement said the reported interception of suspected imported voters demonstrated why intelligence-led security operations were necessary, but warned that no political party should claim ownership of the Police or other state institutions.
The APC’s 276-member National Campaign Council and its stakeholders may legitimately monitor and protect their party’s votes, but responsibility for conducting the election belongs exclusively to INEC, while security agencies are answerable to the law—not to any campaign organisation.
Adeleke’s complaints should neither be dismissed because early returns appear unfavourable nor accepted without verification. The standard must remain evidence: identify the affected polling units, produce the incident reports, examine the BVAS records and prosecute anyone found responsible for intimidation or electoral fraud.
Osun does not need competing declarations of victimhood. It needs a transparent collation process in which every lawful vote—and only every lawful vote—is allowed to count.
Dr. G. Fraser. MFR.
The National Patriots
Headlinenews.News Special Investigative Report.
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