The governorship candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam, has alleged that the attack at his polling unit in Ejigbo, Osun State, was targeted at him.

Salaam stated this following the violence that erupted at his polling unit shortly after he cast his ballot.

It was reported that the incident forced voters and other persons at the location to flee for safety.

Reacting, the ADC candidate said the attack was directed at his person but was foiled by his movement away from the area and the intervention of his security personnel.

“The plan was to even attack me. That alone was to attack me, my personality. It is because of my strategic movement from that area that made it impossible for him to attack me.”

He said his security team quickly moved him out of the area, describing the incident as serious.

“It is not a small thing; it is a big thing. It is a well-planned thing,” Salaam said.

The ADC candidate questioned why the incident occurred barely a minute after he cast his vote, noting that the voting process had been ongoing peacefully before his arrival.

“I am worried and disturbed about Nigerian democracy. The way we are going, plus the way the security operation works. What is the future?” he asked.

Salaam also condemned the panic that followed the incident, saying elderly voters were among those forced to flee the polling unit.

“It’s not fair. It’s not democracy. A lot of people, they ran for their lives,” he said.

He questioned how citizens could have confidence in the democratic process when voters who should be protected at polling units were forced to run to safety.

“The elderly women and men, they ran away to save their lives. So, how could a woman be happy with this?” he asked.

The ADC candidate said a suspect had been arrested in connection with the incident and expressed hope that the person remained in custody.

Salaam called for a thorough investigation, insisting that the suspect should be questioned even after the election to determine the motive behind the incident.

“We post this after because in an attempt on my life, I won’t close my eyes or be calm or silent about it,” he said.

“Even after the election, the guy needs to be questioned. Why? Is it really me?”

Salaam also criticised the response of security personnel at the polling unit, alleging that some officers merely watched as the situation unfolded.

“The security officers are just looking,” he said.

He warned that perceived inaction by security agencies could undermine public confidence and encourage people to take the law into their own hands.

“And that is why sometimes people take the law into their own hands and do things, and that is how we normally have crises in our society,” he said.