The All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly candidate for Atakumosa East/West Local Government Area of Osun State, Hon. Babatunde Komolafe Festus, has reportedly been apprehended by the Nigerian Navy personnel in his hometown, Ifewara, while allegedly in possession of a gun.
Sources told SaharaReporters that Komolafe was arrested on Thursday while travelling in a campaign vehicle belonging to the APC, alongside other supporters.
According to the sources, the arrest followed a routine search conducted by Navy personnel, during which a gun was allegedly discovered in the vehicle.
“He was arrested today after a routine search by Navy officials exposed him and other supporters with a gun, they were in the campaign vehicle of APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji when they were caught,” the source said.
A video obtained by SaharaReporters showed Navy officials parading the apprehended persons following the incident.
The reported arrest comes about 48 hours before the Osun State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026, amid heightened political tension and growing concerns over alleged threats and inflammatory statements by political actors.
The development also comes against the backdrop of recent controversial remarks by an APC chieftain in Osun State, Mutali Adisa, who reportedly warned residents of Ikire who would not vote for the party’s governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, against attempting to cross a “gutter” in the town on election day.
SaharaReporters had reported on Wednesday that Adisa, the Seriki of Ikire, made the statement while addressing supporters of Oyebamiji in Ikire, the hometown of the APC candidate.
Adisa made the statement on Tuesday while expressing confidence that Oyebamiji would emerge victorious in Saturday’s election.
In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, the APC chieftain said the party’s candidate had already secured victory and only needed a strong percentage of votes from Ikire.
He said, “We are sure of victory given all the works we have done in the campaign. Ambo (referring to the APC Candidate) is sure of victory, what he needs is percentage in Ikire, he has won already.”
However, while addressing the party’s supporters, Adisa issued what appeared to be a warning directed at residents who might not support the APC candidate during the election.
“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,” he said in the video seen by SaharaReporters.
His comment generated concerns coming days before the governorship poll, with political parties and civil society groups already raising alarms over possible violence and intimidation during the election.
The reported arrest of Komolafe over alleged possession of a firearm further adds to the concerns surrounding security ahead of Saturday’s election.
On Wednesday, SaharaReporters also reported that human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, said he and his 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 engineering violence against members of the Accord Party ahead of the election.
The latest development is expected to further intensify scrutiny of political activities and security arrangements ahead of the Osun governorship election.
(SaharaReporters)