Osun 2026: ADC Candidate Salam Raises Alarm Over Alleged Intimidation, Vote Buying, Missing Agents’ Tags
By Pan Afric Reporters
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Saturday’s Osun State election, Dr Najeem Salam, has raised concerns over alleged intimidation, violence, vote buying and what he described as irregularities affecting the accreditation of the party’s polling agents ahead of the August 15 governorship poll.
Salam, who spoke in an interview on Friday, said the alleged developments were capable of undermining the credibility of the election, stressing that democracy should not be treated as a battlefield.
The Osun governorship election, scheduled for Saturday, August 15, has attracted significant attention, with 15 candidates in the race and more than two million registered voters expected to participate across the state.
According to Salam, the atmosphere surrounding the election had been characterised by reports of insecurity, intimidation and alleged attempts to influence voters through financial inducements.
“Election has never been a war front. But it’s turning to a war front in Nigerian situation, where people procure ammunition, have ammunition, not to even defend themselves, but to scare people away, to harass people, and forcefully get elected to position of authority,” he said.
The ADC candidate expressed concern over what he described as the loss of lives in the state, warning that the situation should not be allowed to deteriorate further before or during the election.
Salam also alleged widespread vote buying, claiming that huge sums of money were being deployed to influence voters.
“The vote buying is things of like, you see billions of naira in Osun around the corner now. People have been given money at their home. Some transfer it to their account in the mall, vote for A or B,” he alleged.
He, however, maintained that the ADC campaign was relying on its policy proposals and development agenda rather than financial inducements.
According to him, the party’s 10-point developmental agenda focuses on improving the welfare of residents through measures including free education for children in primary and secondary schools, free medical services for children between one and 18 years, free healthcare for senior citizens aged 70 and above, free antenatal care for women and free meals for pupils in primary schools.
He also listed reliable electricity generation and other social interventions among the programmes the party intends to pursue if elected.
“These are the things that we think can improve our society,” Salam said, adding that the ADC was presenting its programmes to voters as an alternative to what he described as money-driven politics.
Missing Polling Agents’ Tags
The ADC candidate further raised concerns over the accreditation of the party’s polling agents, alleging that agents in 10 local government areas had yet to receive their tags.
“As of today, the process is not so good,” he said. “In 10 local governments, as I’m talking to you now, ADC agents have not secured their tag. So how does that, what kind of election are we going to run tomorrow?”
Salam appealed for the issue to be resolved before the commencement of voting, arguing that every political party should be adequately represented at polling units to ensure transparency in the electoral process.
The concerns come against the backdrop of an intensely contested election involving the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of Accord, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji and Salam of the ADC, among others.
“We Are Contesting to Win”
Salam also dismissed speculation that the ADC might withdraw from the race or support another candidate following comments attributed to one of the party’s stakeholders, Nnamu.
He said the comments should be regarded as the individual’s personal opinion and not the official position of the party or his campaign.
“I don’t think he said that. What he said is that, I think it’s own opinion. And his opinion was like looking for an alliance for one or two parties to match together,” Salam said.
The candidate added that Nnamu was not from Osun State and therefore might not have the same understanding of the political realities on the ground.
He insisted that the ADC remained committed to the contest and was determined to win.
“We are contesting, hopefully, if everything remains the same, we’re going to win this election. God wants to surprise everybody how ADC will lead,” he declared.
Salam’s position is consistent with his recent public declaration that he was contesting the election to win rather than withdrawing in favour of another political party.
As voters prepare to cast their ballots, the ADC candidate appealed to Nigerians, the international community and democratic stakeholders to pay attention to the conduct of the election and ensure that voters are allowed to freely exercise their franchise.
“Democracy is not a war front,” Salam stressed, calling for an electoral process in which citizens can freely choose their preferred candidates without intimidation, coercion or inducement.
The election is expected to test the strength of the major political contenders and the ability of the electoral and security authorities to deliver a credible, peaceful and transparent poll.
