By Ayodele Oni
Fumiso Babarinde, an Aide to Osun state Governor, Ademola Adeleke has clarified that the sum of N4.8m recovered from the resident of the State Secretary to Government’s, ( SSG) Teslim Igbalage, was meant for empowerment.
Disputing the claim by the State Police Command that the money was meant for vote buying ahead next month election, Babarinde, who is a Senior Special Adviser to the State Governor, said that no electoral offence has been committed.
Babarinde made the clarification during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, while reacting to the controversy surrounding the police operation at the SSG’s residence ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.
This is just as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State concluded plans to stage a peaceful protest and address a press conference to draw public attention to what it described as the unfolding situation in the State.
He argued that N4.8 million was not an unusual amount for an official occupying the office of the Secretary to the State Government and noted that empowerment programmes were routinely organised by government officials at different levels.
He alleged that the raid took place while Igbalaye was attending a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with political stakeholders in the state.
According to Babarinde, police operatives from the Osun State Police Command stormed the SSG’s residence and arrested several party canvassers who had gathered there.
He said Igbalaye later drove himself to the police headquarters after learning about the operation in a bid to secure the release of those arrested but was detained upon arrival.
Babarinde disclosed that police recovered N4.8 million in cash, voters’ registers for Osogbo Local Government Area, two voter cards, a laptop and a printer during the raid.
He explained that the voter registers were public documents obtained from INEC and were being reproduced for party canvassers who would embark on grassroots mobilisation across the 15 electoral wards in Osogbo Local Government.
He emphasized that the printer and laptop were being used to produce copies of the registers for distribution to party members involved in house-to-house campaigns.
He further stated that police claimed some persons they had been searching for were among those arrested at the residence, adding that while some detainees had been released, others remained in custody as of Thursday morning.
He maintained that there was nothing illegal about possessing or reproducing the voter register, describing it as a public document made available by INEC.
He also questioned the basis of the vote-buying allegations, insisting that those gathered at the residence were members of the ruling party rather than voters being induced to support a candidate.
Babarinde accused security operatives of portraying legitimate political activities as criminal acts and maintained that the operation was politically motivated.
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