Osun voters came prepared to stop rigging — Rufai, Farotimi

Osun State voters came prepared to protect their votes and prevent alleged manipulation during the collation of results in Saturday’s governorship election, media personalities Oseni Rufai and Dele Farotimi have said.

Farotimi made the observation in a post on his X handle on Sunday while commenting on the participation of Nigerian celebrities in the election.

He said the involvement of celebrities in the electoral process demonstrated the influence they could wield in shaping public discourse and encouraging civic participation.

According to him, celebrities have significant platforms and should not remain silent when important national issues are at stake.

“Voltrons will not save Nigeria, but the choice to be silent when you have a voice, is a choice to be aligned with evil,” Farotimi wrote.

Commenting on Afrobeat singer Davido’s involvement in the Osun election, Farotimi said the singer’s participation might have been motivated by interests beyond altruism but nonetheless demonstrated the influence celebrities could have on political issues.

“Davido’s involvement in the Osun election is anything but altruistic, BUT it does prove the point: Nigerian celebrities have major voices,” he said.

Also reacting to the conduct of the election, Rufai, in a post on his X handle on Sunday, said the vigilance of voters in Osun had helped prevent manipulation during the collation process.

He said the collation stage remained particularly important because of the potential for electoral malpractice.

“Most elections are rigged at the collation centers,” Rufai wrote.

He added: “The Osun people came prepared and ensured that didn’t happen.”

Their comments came as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) concluded the collation of results from the 30 local government areas of the state.

The election featured 13 governorship candidates, with the contest largely dominated by Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.