A viral video has triggered fresh controversy in Osun State after residents, mostly women, were allegedly given ₦10,000 each and made to swear a religious oath to vote for Governor Ademola Adeleke in the August 15 governorship election.
The dramatic footage showed the residents allegedly receiving cash before being led through an oath-taking session by individuals said to be loyalists of the governor.
In the video, the women were heard repeating the words of an unidentified coordinator as they pledged to vote for Adeleke.
The participants allegedly invoked blessings from the Bible if they kept their promise, while calling down biblical calamities on themselves if they collected the money but failed to vote for the governor.
In Yoruba, they reportedly recited:”I will vote for Demola Adeleke. I promise to be a faithful and honest person and I promise to do what you want and if I refuse to do it, all the troubles and calamities in the Bible should be mine. But if I collect money and vote for him, all the goodness in the Bible should be mine.”
The footage has raised fresh concerns over alleged vote-buying, voter inducement and intimidation as political parties intensify their campaigns ahead of the keenly contested poll.
The identities of the individuals seen organising the alleged cash distribution and oath-taking could not be independently verified from the video.
The development comes just days before Osun voters are expected to choose their next governor in one of the most closely watched off-cycle elections in the country.
Adeleke, who is seeking a second term, is facing a strong challenge from opposition parties as the campaigns enter their final stretch.
The alleged incident has also emerged amid heightened political tension in Osun following a series of controversies involving the state government, the Federal Government and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The EFCC had recently obtained a court order restricting access to some accounts belonging to the Osun State Government, triggering a political storm in the state.
However, on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu directed the anti-graft agency to take immediate steps to unfreeze the affected accounts, saying the timing of the action could create the impression of federal interference in the election.
With the poll now only days away, the latest video is likely to fuel further debate over the conduct of the election and allegations of inducement of voters.
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