Osun Poll Tension: Adeleke Camp Alleges Arrest of 86 Accord Members

The Imole Campaign Council, the campaign organisation of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has accused the Nigeria Police of arresting and detaining 86 members of the Accord Party in Abuja ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.

The council called for the immediate release of the detained party members and urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene, warning against what it described as political intimidation capable of undermining the credibility of the election.
Speaking with journalists after visiting the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) Headquarters in Abuja, the spokesperson of the Accord Party Governorship Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, described the arrests as unlawful and politically motivated.
According to him, more than 86 Accord Party members were arrested within the last two to three days without any explanation from the police. He said officials were unable to provide any petition, charge or offence linking the detainees to any crime.
Olajengbesi alleged that the arrested members were transported by road from Osun State to Abuja and distributed across correctional facilities. He stated that 36 of them were taken to the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Keffi, Nasarawa State, while 14 others were moved to the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory.
He maintained that the detainees had not been charged with any offence and insisted that there was no justification for their continued detention.
The campaign spokesperson further alleged that the arrests targeted Accord Party members because of their support for Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid. He claimed that some of the arrested members were allegedly asked by security personnel whether they were willing to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the development as embarrassing for the country’s democracy.
Olajengbesi also alleged that the Secretary to the Osun State Government was arrested while carrying out voter sensitisation ahead of the election.
When contacted for comments, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, said he was not aware of the alleged arrests and promised to verify the information before responding. However, he had yet to provide further comments as of the time the report was filed.
The campaign council accused the police commissioner of failing to remain neutral and urged the Nigeria Police Force to avoid actions capable of creating the impression of partisanship during the election period.
It called on the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to intervene immediately and redeploy the Osun State Commissioner of Police from election duties, arguing that allowing him to oversee election security could compromise the credibility of the poll.
The council also appealed to President Tinubu to ensure that all security agencies operate professionally and impartially before, during and after the governorship election.
Olajengbesi warned that Nigeria’s democratic image would suffer if the Osun governorship election was not conducted in a free, fair and credible manner, stressing that democratic institutions should never be used to intimidate political opponents.