The Osun State governorship election was thrown into fresh tension on Saturday after the Adeleke Campaign Council alleged that armed security personnel had surrounded the residence of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun.
The campaign council said the personnel arrived at Egbedun’s residence in more than 10 black Hilux vehicles and allegedly prevented people inside the property from leaving.
However, the council acknowledged that it had not established why the security personnel were deployed to the Speaker’s residence or whether the operation was connected with official security duties.
The allegation was contained in a statement issued by the campaign council’s spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, on the day Osun voters are casting ballots to choose the state’s governor.
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“We have received reports that the residence of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun, has been surrounded by armed security personnel who reportedly arrived in more than 10 black Hilux vehicles,” the statement said.
The council added that the residence had “effectively been sealed off”, while occupants allegedly restricted from moving out of the premises.
It called for an immediate explanation from the relevant security authorities, particularly on the purpose of the deployment and the reported restriction on movement.
The development comes against the backdrop of heightened security arrangements for the election, with thousands of police personnel, mobile policemen, helicopters, and drones deployed across the state to safeguard the exercise.
Olajengbesi said the campaign council had attempted to obtain clarification from the Commissioner of Police overseeing election security in Osun and the Deputy Inspector-General of Police responsible for the poll.
He said both attempts were unsuccessful.
The campaign council also said it could not reach the Police Situation Room because the publicly provided telephone number was switched off.
The absence of an immediate official explanation left the circumstances surrounding the deployment unclear.
The Adeleke campaign therefore cautioned security agencies against operations that could generate fear among residents or create doubts about the neutrality of the electoral process.
The council said, “On this Election Day, the people of Osun State deserve an atmosphere free from fear and intimidation. Security deployments must inspire confidence and protect the integrity of the electoral process.”
It also appealed to residents to conduct themselves peacefully while awaiting clarification from the authorities.
The statement added, “The people of Osun State must be allowed to come out peacefully and decide their future according to their own conscience, without intimidation or interference.”
Egbedun is the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, while Governor Ademola Adeleke is seeking another term in Saturday’s election under the Accord Party.
The election has already attracted extensive security preparations as authorities seek to prevent violence and other disruptions during voting.
The police had earlier announced the deployment of more than 15,000 personnel across Osun, including Mobile Police Force units in all 30 local government areas. A Deputy Inspector-General of Police was assigned to coordinate the security operation.
Despite the campaign council’s allegation, no security agency had, as of the time of the report, publicly explained the presence of the personnel at the Speaker’s residence or confirmed whether the reported operation was authorised.
The allegation therefore remains an unverified claim from the Adeleke campaign, pending an official response from the security authorities.
