Najeem Salaam Claims Voter Intimidation in Ifewara

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Najeem Salaam, has claimed that voters are being intimidated and stopped from voting in Ifewara, Osun State.

According to a firsthand report from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development’s Situation Room, Mr Salaam said a group connected to Babatunde Komolafe, an All Progressives Congress House of Assembly candidate, is involved in this act.

Mr Salaam alleged that this group is forcefully taking voters' cards and breaking them to stop voters from casting their ballots. "They do that by forcefully collecting voter cards from the voters and breaking them so that they won’t vote," Mr Salaam said.

He also claimed that this group came with instruments of intimidation, which he described as thuggery. Mr Salaam mentioned Mr Komolafe, who he called a three-time member of the Osun State House of Assembly, as part of this group.

He stated that the lawmaker and others were arrested on Thursday when a navy officer reportedly found a gun in their campaign vehicle, but they were released the next day. He alleged that the same group was causing problems in Ifewara during the election.

This claim comes after the Imole Campaign Council, led by Governor Ademola Adeleke, condemned the reported release of Mr Komolafe. Vanguard reported on Friday that the campaign council said Mr Komolafe and his supporters were arrested by naval personnel in Ifewara after a gun was allegedly found during a search of an APC campaign vehicle.

The council also claimed that the suspects were released because of pressure from senior APC members. They praised the Nigerian Navy for what they described as professionalism and neutrality during the election period but said the release of a suspect allegedly found with an unauthorized firearm was unacceptable.

Other reports also mentioned that Mr Komolafe was released after his arrest, but the details surrounding his release were not confirmed by the Nigerian Navy. Mr Salaam’s claim that the same group was involved in intimidating voters and destroying voter cards in Ifewara could not be independently verified at the time of this report.