Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has alleged that soldiers are attempting to prevent him from entering Osun State. The reported Davido Osun entry issue allegedly occurred as residents head to the polls for Saturday’s governorship election.
According to The Punch, the singer made the claim in a post on his verified X account early on Saturday. He insisted that he had the right to move freely within the country.
“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 allegation came shortly after the Nigeria Police Force announced a statewide restriction of movement. This restriction is part of security measures for the governorship election.
The restriction began at midnight on Friday and is expected to remain in force until 6pm on Saturday. Only authorised persons and exempted categories are allowed to move during the period.
Davido raises concern ahead of Osun poll
Davido, who is a nephew of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, has played an active role in his uncle’s re-election campaign. This campaign is under the Accord Party.
Adeleke is seeking a second term in an election. The contest pits him against candidates including the All Progressives Congress flagbearer, Bola Oyebamiji.
Davido’s allegation quickly generated reactions online. Some social media users questioned whether any attempt to restrict him was specifically targeted or simply connected to the general election-day movement restrictions.
Former presidential media aide Bashir Ahmad criticised the singer’s position, describing his reaction as “dramatic.”
“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 argued that the constitutional right to freedom of movement did not exempt citizens from complying with lawful security measures. These measures are introduced to protect the electoral process.
“So the right to freedom of movement does not mean ignoring lawful security measures put in place to ensure a peaceful and credible election,” he added.
Security agencies have urged residents, political parties, candidates and their supporters to comply with the restrictions. They should also cooperate with personnel deployed across the state during the election.
