Over 60 Accord Party Members Detained by Police, Says Adeleke's Campaign Team

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The Imole Campaign Council, which is the campaign team of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, says over 60 leaders and members of the governor’s party are in police custody.

Mr Adeleke is aiming for re-election under the Accord Party for the governorship election scheduled for 15 August.

The organisation claims the arrests are unlawful and is demanding the immediate release of the detained party members.

This demand was made in a statement on Saturday by Bamidele Sallam, the chairman of its Media and Publicity Sub-Committee.

Mr Sallam, who represents Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, and Ejigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, called on the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to step in and order the unconditional release of the detained supporters.

“We demand immediate release of over 60 Accord leaders and members under illegal detention, including an Accord candidate for House of Representatives for Ijesa South, identified simply as Hon. Alaba.

“In the best interest of democracy, in pursuance of the IGP’s direct order to police officers and in compliance with the presidential directive for a free and fair election in Osun State, we demand immediate and urgent action by the Inspector-General of Police,” he said.

This call comes just five days after the campaign council sent a petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja, asking for the unconditional release of the governor’s supporters who were allegedly arrested and detained by the police.

The campaign spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, spoke with journalists after the petition was submitted. He accused the police in Osun State of harassing the governor’s supporters before the election.

Mr Olajengbesi claimed many supporters of the governor have been arrested and unlawfully detained without any reason. He urged the NHRC to step in and secure justice for those affected.

The campaign council also wrote to President Bola Tinubu, complaining about the alleged intimidation of its supporters as the election approaches.

Political rivalry and violent clashes have been increasing in Osun lately.

Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), believed to be connected with the All Progressives Congress (APC), recently took control of motor parks across the state. This displaced officials appointed by the state government.

This situation led to violent clashes between rival groups, injuring several people, including bystanders trying to escape.

Police operatives also raided the Osogbo home of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, arresting him and five others over alleged vote-buying.

The police reported recovering N4.8 million in cash, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopying machine, a printer, two voter cards, and a voter register covering Wards 1 to 15 in Osogbo Local Government Area.

Mr Igbalaye was later released after the state government and the Osun House of Assembly intervened.

Last Friday, the police appointed a new Commissioner of Police, Samuel Erale, to manage election security in the state. This change came after months of demands from the state government for the removal of the former commissioner, Ibrahim Gotan, who was accused of being biased towards one political party in handling election-related security issues.

The police have continuously denied these claims.

These events have increased political tension, making the Osun governorship election one of the most closely watched contests in the South-west in recent years.

For many years, Osun politics has mainly been controlled by two major parties. But now, the rise of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a strong third option has changed the political scene ahead of the election.

Though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cleared 13 political parties to take part in the election after the withdrawal of the APGA candidate, Adeshina Adeyemi-Doro, the contest is likely to focus on three main candidates: Mr Adeleke of the Accord Party, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC, and Najeem Salaam of the ADC.

These three camps are expected to lead the race due to their established political structures, financial power, grassroots support, elite endorsements, and statewide visibility.