By Ado Oyeyemi
Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has alleged that soldiers are attempting to stop him from entering Osun State as voters cast their ballots in Saturday’s governorship election.
The singer made the allegation in a post on his verified X account early on Saturday, insisting that he would not be prevented from gaining access to the state.
Davido wrote, “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.”
His claim came hours after the Nigeria Police Force announced restrictions on movement across Osun State as part of security arrangements for the election.
The restriction took effect from midnight on Friday, August 14, and is scheduled to remain in place until 6pm on Saturday, August 15, 2026.
Thousands of police officers and other security personnel have been deployed across the state to maintain law and order during the poll.
Davido, who is a nephew of Governor Ademola Adeleke, has been actively campaigning for his uncle, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
The governor is facing competition from several candidates, including the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, in the off-cycle election.
The singer’s allegation generated considerable reactions on social media, with users offering differing interpretations of the reported encounter.
While some argued that any restriction placed on Davido could be connected to the general movement ban announced for the election, others questioned whether the singer was being subjected to measures beyond those applicable to other residents.
However, former presidential media aide Bashir Ahmad dismissed Davido’s claim as “dramatic,” arguing that the movement restriction had already been publicly announced by security authorities.
Ahmad said the restriction was a routine electoral security measure and not one specifically targeted at the singer.
He wrote, “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 6pm today due to the election.”
He added that the constitutional right to freedom of movement did not exempt individuals from complying with lawful security measures introduced to safeguard elections.
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As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the military confirming or denying Davido’s allegation.
