Osun commissioner denies aide arrest with thumbprinted ballot papers

Osun State Commissioner for Special Duties, Badmus Olalekan, has denied a report that his personal assistant was arrested and detained for allegedly being in possession of thumb-printed ballot papers.

The PA was allegedly detained at the Oke Baale Police Station but the commissioner denied the allegation.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Opalola Yemisi, could not confirm the report.

In a viral post, the commissioner’s PA was said to have been arrested with thumb-printed ballot papers.

“The Personal Assistant to Hon. Lekan Badmus (Commissioner for Special Duties) of Osun State has just been arrested with thumb printed ballots and a bag full of money for vote buying.

“He is being called has been handed over to the police and currently cooling off in the cell of Oke Baale Police Station. We admonished the people to be extremely vigilant,” the post read.

Reacting in a statement, the commissioner described the alleged arrest as a “shock”.

The statement was titled, ‘News of my personal assistant caught with thumb-printed ballot papers, fake totally untrue’.

It read, “I wish to emphatically state that myself, and every other person working closely with me have not engaged in any activities to sabotage the integrity of this on-going election.

“It is rather a rude shock to me that some mischief makers have been spreading false information online that my Personal Assistant was caught with thumbprinted ballot papers in Osogbo ward 2 and had been handed over to the security agents. This is completely untrue.

“I am a man of integrity who believes in hardwork and not cheap means to success. The claim that I was, by extension, involved in electoral malpractice contradicts the value I stand for.

“Members of the public are hereby urged to disregard any claim or accusation of sorts suggesting that I and the people working with me were involved in electoral fraud.”