Afrobeats star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has alleged that soldiers are attempting to prevent him from entering Osun State as the state conducts its governorship election on Saturday.
Davido, who is a nephew of the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, made the allegation in a post shared on his verified X account in the early hours of Saturday.
The singer said he had received information that soldiers were making efforts to stop him from accessing the state, maintaining that every Nigerian is entitled to freedom of movement.
“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,” Davido wrote.
His statement came against the backdrop of movement restrictions imposed throughout Osun State as part of security measures for the governorship election.
The Nigeria Police Force had announced that movement would be restricted across the state from 12:00 midnight on Friday, August 14, until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 15.
The measure forms part of arrangements by security agencies to guarantee a peaceful and orderly election, as thousands of security personnel have been deployed across the state.
Davido has played an active role in the campaign of his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
The governor is contesting against several opponents, including the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, among others.
Davido’s statement sparked reactions on social media, with some users questioning whether he was aware of the movement restrictions announced ahead of the election.
One X user, @OgbeniDipo, suggested that Davido was unaware of the restrictions, while also alleging that security personnel were enforcing the order at various locations.
“You don’t know there is curfew on election day? You went to school nau,” the user wrote.
The user added: “There are security agents enforcing the curfew at Ikire Junction, Gbongan bypass, Odeomu, up to Akoda and Owode Ede. Don’t let them detain you.”
The user also advised Davido to stay in Lagos, alleging that he might otherwise “bribe” his way past the security restrictions.
Another X user, @Mz_Tosyn, similarly questioned Davido’s position, writing: “Him and his audience are not aware of curfew on Election Day or they are pretending not to.”
The reactions came after former presidential media aide, Bashir Ahmad, responded to Davido’s claim by describing it as “dramatic” and reminding him of the movement restrictions already announced by security authorities.
“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,” Ahmad wrote.
He further argued that the restriction should not be viewed as an infringement on citizens’ rights, noting that residents were expected to observe lawful security measures introduced during elections.
“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 said.
