Osun Elections : Davido Accuses Soldiers of Blocking His Entry

Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has alleged that soldiers attempted to prevent him from entering Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

The singer raised the alarm in a post shared on his verified X account on Saturday, hours before the movement restriction imposed across the state took effect.

“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 in time,” Davido wrote.

Davido did not disclose the source of the information or identify the soldiers allegedly involved. He also did not state the route through which he intended to enter the state or whether security personnel had contacted him directly.

His allegation came amid heightened security measures introduced for the Osun governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026.

The Nigeria Police Force had announced a restriction of movement across the state from midnight on Friday until 6pm on Saturday.

According to the police, the measure was designed to enable security agencies to protect voters, election officials and electoral materials during the poll.

Only voters, election officials, security personnel, emergency workers and other authorised individuals were exempted from the restriction.

More than 15,000 police personnel were deployed across the state’s 30 local government areas, with a Deputy Inspector-General of Police assigned to coordinate the operation and a Commissioner of Police deployed to each local government area.

Police helicopters and drones were also deployed for aerial surveillance before, during and after the election.

The Force Public Relations Officer had earlier disclosed that soldiers would seal roads leading into Osun from midnight as part of measures to enforce the movement restriction.

Davido’s post generated significant reactions on social media. While some users expressed concern that the singer could be facing a targeted restriction, others argued that the security measures were expected because of the election-day lockdown.

Reacting to the allegation, former presidential media aide Bashir Ahmad accused Davido of creating unnecessary drama over a restriction that applied to members of the public.

Ahmad said the movement restriction had been widely announced by security authorities and was a standard security measure during elections.

He argued that the constitutional right to freedom of movement does not exempt individuals from complying with lawful security measures introduced to ensure a peaceful and credible election.

Davido’s latest comments come amid his prominent involvement in the political activities surrounding the Osun election.

Earlier in the week, the singer called on United States President Donald Trump and the international community to monitor the poll, citing concerns over alleged violence, intimidation and attempts to disrupt the election.

He later defended the appeal after some Nigerians questioned why he referred to Trump as his president, explaining that he holds both Nigerian and American citizenship.

Davido has been one of the most visible supporters of his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election under the Accord Party.

His involvement in Osun politics dates back to the 2022 governorship election, when he campaigned for Adeleke and mobilised young voters across the state.

Adeleke later defeated the then-governor, Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress, to win the election.

In Saturday’s contest, Adeleke is facing major challengers, including Bola Oyebamiji of the APC and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress.