Nigerian Navy personnel have arrested Hon. Babatunde Komolafe Festus, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Atakumosa East/West State House of Assembly seat in Osun State, during a routine search in his hometown of Ifewara on Thursday.
According to sources who spoke with SaharaReporters, Komolafe was traveling in a campaign vehicle belonging to the APC’s governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, alongside other party supporters when naval officers conducted the search. A firearm was allegedly discovered in the vehicle, leading to the arrest of the candidate and his companions.
Video footage obtained by the publication shows naval officers parading the detained individuals following the operation. The incident occurred approximately 48 hours before the Osun State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026, against a backdrop of escalating political tension in the state.
The arrest follows controversial remarks made earlier this week by APC chieftain Mutali Adisa, the Seriki of Ikire, who warned residents of Ikire — Oyebamiji’s hometown — against crossing a local gutter on election day if they did not intend to vote for the APC candidate. Adisa made the comments on Tuesday while addressing party supporters, expressing confidence in Oyebamiji’s victory while issuing what observers described as a thinly veiled threat of voter intimidation.
“We should however tell those who are not willing to vote for Ambo the truth, they should not even try to cross the gutter on election day in Ikire,” Adisa said in a video circulating online, using a nickname for the governorship candidate.
The statement has drawn condemnation from civil society groups and opposition parties, who have raised alarms about potential violence and voter suppression ahead of Saturday’s poll. On Wednesday, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju revealed that he and colleagues had petitioned the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada to impose visa restrictions on Senator Francis Fadahunsi over his alleged role in orchestrating violence against members of the Accord Party during the campaign period.
The latest developments are expected to intensify scrutiny of security arrangements and political conduct as the state approaches the governorship election. Electoral stakeholders continue to call for restraint and adherence to the rule of law in the final days of campaigning.
