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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

VIDEO: Osun woman shares rice, urges residents to vote APC candidate

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • An Osun businesswoman, known as Ero-Arike, distributed rice to residents while urging them to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate.
  • Videos showed her handing out rice packs with APC stickers and wearing APC-branded attire, claiming the items were from the wife of a former Osun governor.
  • The act sparked social media debate, with some users questioning the practice as potential electoral bribery and a form of "mental slavery."

An Osun businesswoman, identified as Alhaja Falilat Yusuf, popularly known as Ero-Arike, has drawn significant online attention after a video surfaced showing her distributing rice to residents while simultaneously campaigning for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate. The video, shared on TikTok, depicts Ero-Arike handing out rice packed in bags adorned with APC stickers and wearing customized APC-logo apparel.

This rice was given to you by …. She told me to give you one per person, but I’ll give you two.

— Ero-ArikeExplaining the source of the rice during distribution.

During the distribution, Ero-Arike stated that the rice was provided by the wife of a former Osun State governor, adding that she would give beneficiaries two bags each instead of the intended one. She then urged the recipients to support APC candidates and warned them against accepting the rice without intending to vote for the party's nominee. The claim about the source of the rice could not be independently verified.

Make sure to vote for …

— Ero-ArikeUrging beneficiaries to support the APC candidate.

The video has ignited a debate on social media, with many users criticizing the practice. Some questioned whether the distribution of food items in connection with an election constitutes electoral bribery. One user commented, "Giving voters rice, beans, cooking oil, cash, hampers or similar items while saying or implying ‘vote for Candidate X’ can amount to electoral bribery." Others lamented the situation, describing it as "mental slavery" and a tactic used by politicians to exploit poverty.

Giving voters rice, beans, cooking oil, cash, hampers or similar items while saying or implying ‘vote for Candidate X’ can amount to electoral bribery.

— Vincent IlomechineSocial media user commenting on the practice of distributing food items for votes.

The incident occurs ahead of the Osun governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026. The election is expected to feature a contest between the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Oyebamiji of the APC, and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress, among others. The political climate in Osun State has been marked by heightened tensions leading up to the vote.

When will Nigerians free themselves from this mental slavery? Politicians know that a united Nigeria is the end to bad governance.

— Vincent IlomechineSocial media user expressing frustration over perceived voter manipulation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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