Osun AG Questions Vote-Buying Allegation, Arrest Of SSG, Says PVCs, Voter Register Not Criminal Exhibits

• Osun Attorney-General Oluwole Jimi-Bada, SAN, says Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaiye, voluntarily reported to the police and should not have been detained without credible evidence.

• Justice Commissioner argues that possession of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and INEC-released voter registers does not constitute a criminal offence under Nigerian law.

• State Government challenges police to provide concrete evidence linking recovered cash and other exhibits to vote-buying, insisting party logistics are lawful.

• Attorney-General calls on the Inspector-General of Police to review the controversial operation and ensure professionalism ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

July 31, () — The Osun State Government has challenged the basis of the Nigeria Police Force’s allegation of vote-buying against the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaiye, insisting that neither the possession of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) nor printed copies of the voters’ register constitutes a criminal offence.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Thursday, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, SAN, faulted the arrest and detention of the SSG following Wednesday’s police raid on his residence, describing the action as legally questionable and inconsistent with the constitutional rights of citizens.

The Attorney-General maintained that while the Osun State Government fully supports lawful criminal investigations and does not shield anyone suspected of committing an offence, law enforcement agencies must conduct their operations within the bounds of the Constitution and established legal procedures.

“We do not oppose lawful investigation. We do not support criminality. We do not shield anyone who is properly suspected of committing an offence. Nobody is above the law. However, it must be said with equal firmness that the law is also above every institution, including the police. Law enforcement must be carried out with fairness, neutrality, restraint and strict compliance with the Constitution”, Jimi-Bada declared.

The Attorney-General disclosed that Igbalaiye was not present when police officers raided his residence in Osogbo and was therefore neither arrested at the scene nor involved in any attempt to evade law enforcement.

According to him, the SSG voluntarily reported to the police headquarters after learning that individuals at his residence had been arrested, with the intention of assisting investigators and securing administrative bail for those detained.

“It is, therefore, shocking that a senior public official who voluntarily submitted himself to law enforcement authorities, not as a fugitive but as a responsible citizen, was subsequently detained. If a citizen who voluntarily goes to the police to assist an inquiry can be turned into a detainee without clear and credible grounds, then every citizen is at risk”, he said.

Attorney-General Rejects Vote-Buying Narrative

Jimi-Bada questioned the police suggestion that the cash recovered from the residence was intended for vote-buying, stressing that the governorship election was still over two weeks away.

According to him, members of the Accord Party who were present at the residence were handling funds meant for legitimate political logistics, including transportation, mobilisation, feeding and communication.

“The Osun State Governorship Election is fixed for August 15, 2026. The incident occurred on July 29. No governorship election was taking place that day. No polling units were open. No ballot was being cast. No voter was in a voting queue”, he said.

While acknowledging that the Electoral Act criminalises voter inducement, the Attorney-General argued that allegations of vote-buying must be supported by credible and admissible evidence.

“The mere possession or distribution of funds for party logistics should not be hastily labelled as vote-buying without proof of unlawful inducement of voters”, he added.

He challenged the police to disclose any evidence showing that money was actually offered to voters in exchange for their votes.

PVCs, Voter Register Not Criminal Exhibits

The Justice Commissioner also dismissed the suggestion that the Permanent Voter Cards and printed voter register recovered during the operation constituted criminal exhibits.

He explained that the PVCs allegedly belonged to party members who were present at the residence and noted that citizens are legally entitled to possess their own voter cards.

Jimi-Bada further pointed out that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had already released the voters’ register to political parties as part of preparations for the August 15 governorship election.

According to him, political parties are entitled to print and use the register for legitimate electoral planning, polling-unit organisation, mobilisation and voter verification.

“The possession of printed copies of the voters’ register, without more, should not be sensationalised as evidence of criminal conduct”, he stated.

He urged the police to clarify whether any PVC was found in the unlawful possession of another person, whether any voter had alleged being induced with money and whether any independent evidence existed to support the vote-buying allegation.

“The public deserves facts, not insinuations”, he said.

Responding to the police claim that one of the persons arrested at the residence was on its watchlist over an earlier criminal case, the Attorney-General insisted that the allegation could not automatically implicate the SSG. He argued that Nigerian law does not recognise “guilt by association” and that criminal responsibility is personal.

“For the Secretary to the State Government to be properly treated as a suspect, there must be credible facts linking him personally to a known offence. The law does not recognise guilt by association. It does not criminalise proximity,” he stated.

He maintained that if one of the individuals arrested was indeed wanted by the police, the law should take its course against that individual without extending suspicion to the SSG in the absence of evidence.

Calls for Police Transparency

The Attorney-General called on the Inspector-General of Police to review the circumstances surrounding the operation and ensure that the Nigeria Police Force remains impartial as Osun prepares for its August 15 governorship election.

He also urged the police to clearly disclose the specific allegations against each of the suspects, explain the basis of the vote-buying allegation and clarify whether the voter register allegedly recovered was different from materials already released by INEC to political parties.

Jimi-Bada further appealed to the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Human Rights Commission, civil society organisations and election observers to closely monitor the conduct of security agencies during the election period.

Background

The Attorney-General’s intervention follows Wednesday’s controversial police raid on the residence of the Osun State SSG, during which police said they recovered ₦4.81 million, two Permanent Voter Cards, a voter register covering Wards 1 to 15, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine and a printer.

The police said the recovered items raised suspicion of possible vote-buying, criminal conspiracy and other electoral offences, while also disclosing that one of the six persons arrested during the operation was on its watchlist over an earlier criminal matter.

Although Igbalaiye has since been released by the police, the command has maintained that investigations remain ongoing. The incident has intensified political tension in Osun State, with the Adeleke administration accusing the police of acting outside the law, while the police insist the operation was based on credible intelligence and carried out in line with their constitutional mandate.