Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has accused the police of allegedly using tear gas to disperse voters in some parts of the state, while also alleging that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is working to manipulate Saturday’s governorship election.
Adeleke made the allegations shortly after voting at Unit 009, Ward 02, Agbogunde Sagba, in Ede North, where he arrived at about 8:30 a.m. with his wife.
The governor called on the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to ensure neutrality and prevent anything capable of disrupting the electoral process.
He also alleged that a police officer reportedly deployed from Port Harcourt and known as “London” was in Ede to cause trouble and intimidate voters.
According to Adeleke, he received reports that voters in Modakeke and Obaku were allegedly being tear-gassed by police personnel to force them away from polling centres.
He further claimed that the APC had produced fake ballot papers as part of an alleged plan to rig the election.
Meanwhile, Adeleke and his wife experienced delays while attempting to vote after the BVAS device at their polling unit initially failed to capture the governor’s facial biometrics.
The malfunction caused a brief buildup of tension among supporters as officials made repeated attempts to resolve the problem.
After several attempts, the BVAS eventually authenticated Adeleke, allowing him to vote.
The governor also encountered another setback when the ink pad provided for thumb-printing the ballot paper was found to be dry. A second ink pad reportedly failed as well before a third one was provided and successfully used.
