A viral video showing Osun-based businesswoman Alhaja Yusuf Falilat Arike, popularly known as Ero Arike, distributing rice to residents while canvassing support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, has sparked a fresh political controversy ahead of Saturday’s election.
The footage, which has circulated widely on Facebook, Instagram and X, shows Arike and associates handing out packs of rice from a vehicle loaded with the staple food.
Several people at the scene are seen wearing APC-branded caps and clothing bearing the name of Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO.
In the video, Arike praises Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji and tells members of the crowd that the governor sent her to distribute the rice.
She subsequently urges residents to vote for the APC candidate.
“My people of Osun State, I told you that Oyebanji is a good man. He sent me to distribute rice to you. Vote for the APC candidate, Asiwaju Oyebanji. He will take care of you and your family,” she is quoted as saying in versions of the footage circulating online.
However, the reference to “Asiwaju Oyebanji” appears to be a mix-up in the video, as the APC’s candidate for the Osun governorship election is Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, while Biodun Oyebanji is the governor of neighbouring Ekiti State.
The video has since generated strong reactions across social media, with some Nigerians questioning whether the distribution of food during an election campaign could amount to voter inducement.
Critics have pointed to the country’s economic difficulties and rising food costs, arguing that the distribution of basic food items during an election period could place financially vulnerable voters under pressure.
Some commentators used phrases such as “Almajirization of Nigerians” and “slavery in high definition” to criticise what they perceived as an attempt to use economic hardship as a campaign advantage.
Others, however, have cautioned against reaching conclusions about vote-buying solely from the footage, noting that the video does not independently establish whether anyone was offered money or explicitly required to vote in exchange for the rice.
There is also no independent confirmation that Governor Oyebanji personally supplied the rice shown in the video.
Oyebanji has publicly backed Oyebamiji and the APC ahead of the Osun election and has participated in campaign-related activities, but no direct statement from the Ekiti governor confirming his involvement in the specific rice distribution was immediately available.
The controversy has also drawn attention to Arike’s political journey.
