A member of the Osun State House of Assembly, Abiola Ibrahim Inaolaji, has been arrested alongside 146 other persons in Ikire over their alleged involvement in activities suspected to be connected with Saturday’s governorship election.
Inaolaji, who represents the Irewole/Isokan constituency, was reportedly picked up at a private residence in Ikire after security operatives encountered a large gathering of people at the premises.
The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the development, saying the lawmaker and the other suspects were taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Intelligence Response Team in the early hours of Saturday.
Ojelabi said the suspects were being held over allegations that the lawmaker harboured persons described by the police as suspected electoral mercenaries.
The incident followed the circulation of footage showing security operatives questioning Inaolaji about the presence of the large group at his residence during the election.
The lawmaker, however, disputed the allegation, saying those at his residence were voters who had come to participate in the poll. He also denied recruiting or paying them to vote.
“Some of them are indigenes from outside. I did not hire them. I did not promise anything. Voting is their choice. I’m not their agent,” Inaolaji said.
He maintained that the people gathered at the residence were there voluntarily to exercise their civic rights, while the police continued their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the gathering and the identities of those arrested.
The arrests have added to the heightened security and political tension surrounding the Osun governorship election, with security agencies expected to establish whether any electoral laws were breached.:::