Mr. Jamiu Olawumi, former Special Adviser on Education to the Osun State Governor, has urged the public to exercise caution regarding videos circulating on social media that depict voters participating in the recent local government elections. His comments come amid varying accounts of the election’s integrity and execution.
In an exclusive interview with New Daily Prime on Saturday, Olawumi, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), claimed that the election was not conducted in several areas, particularly in Ife Central Local Government. He highlighted specific incidents that he believes compromised the electoral process. “At Ilare Ward 3 in Ile-Ife, hoodlums obstructed the road, although they were ultimately dislodged by the police,” he stated. “Unless voting occurred before daybreak, which has been known to happen, there is no area in Ife Central where voting took place.”
Olawumi further noted that while Ife East experienced no significant disturbances, he accused the opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of manipulating the narrative by using footage from previous elections. “The videos you see circulating are not from this election; they are past films being misrepresented as current,” he asserted, commending the police for their professionalism in handling the situation.
In contrast, Oladele Bamiji, the Director of Media for the PDP in Osun State, strongly refuted Olawumi’s claims. He argued that the recent local government elections were largely successful and called on the APC to provide evidence of their allegations, questioning the authenticity of the videos they claim are misleading. “The APC should be the ones producing old footage circulating on social media,” Bamiji countered.
As the debate continues, the integrity of the electoral process in Osun State remains under scrutiny, with both parties standing firm in their respective positions.
