Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, may be unable to cast his vote in the ongoing Osun State governorship election after claiming that soldiers were attempting to prevent him from entering the state.
Davido raised the alarm in a post on his verified X account early Saturday, saying he had been informed that soldiers were trying to stop him from entering Osun.
“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.”
The development has sparked debate online, particularly because Davido is a nephew of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke and has been actively campaigning for his uncle’s re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
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However, Davido’s claim comes against the backdrop of a general restriction of movement imposed across Osun State for the election, meaning his difficulty entering the state may be connected to the same security measure affecting other travellers.
The Nigeria Police Force announced that movement across the state would be restricted from 12:00 midnight on Friday until 6:00pm on Saturday, as part of security arrangements for the governorship election.
The restriction is not specifically targeted at Davido and is a standard election security measure designed to limit movement, prevent the movement of weapons and thugs, and reduce the risk of electoral violence.
With the restriction already in force, security personnel are expected to stop or scrutinise people attempting to enter or move around the state during the voting period.
This raises a key question: is Davido being specifically prevented from entering Osun, or is he encountering the same movement restriction imposed on everyone else?
At the time of filing this report, there was no independent confirmation that security agencies had singled out Davido because of his political affiliation or relationship with Governor Adeleke.
Davido’s prominent role in the governor’s re-election campaign, however, gives the incident added political significance.
Governor Adeleke is seeking a second term against the APC candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and other candidates in Saturday’s election.
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If Davido is unable to enter Osun before the restriction is lifted, he may consequently be unable to vote, depending on whether his polling unit is within the state and whether he can return before voting closes.
The incident comes as voters across Osun head to the polls under heightened security, with authorities deploying security personnel and restricting movement in an effort to ensure a peaceful election.
At this stage, Davido’s allegation of being specifically targeted by soldiers remains unverified. What is established is that movement into and within Osun has been restricted for all persons as part of the election security arrangements.
