By John Dike, Osogbo
The ongoing Osun State governorship election was reportedly disrupted at Ward 4, Unit 013, Oke-Odo, in Ejigbo Local Government Area on Saturday following an alleged attack by suspected political thugs.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Dr Najeem Salaam, cast his ballot at the polling unit.
According to a report the attackers, suspected to be loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC), allegedly stormed the polling unit and disrupted the voting process.
The report identified one of the suspected attackers as an individual known as “Big Hammer.”
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Eyewitnesses quoted in the report alleged that the attackers carted away ballot papers and other sensitive election materials, forcing prospective voters and electoral officials to flee the polling unit.
The incident also raised concerns over the safety of the ADC candidate, with the report alleging that the disruption amounted to an assassination attempt on Salaam.
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However, details surrounding the alleged assassination attempt remained sketchy as of press time, and there was no independent confirmation of the claim.
The development comes amid heightened security concerns across Osun State as voters participate in the governorship election to determine the next governor of the state.
The election is being contested by the incumbent, Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party; the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji; and the ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam,among other candidates.
The reported incident in Ejigbo is likely to further intensify calls on security agencies to protect voters, electoral officials, candidates and election materials and ensure that the electoral process is allowed to continue without intimidation or violence.
Security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had yet to issue an official statement on the reported disruption at the time of filing this report.
