The Imole Campaign Council, the campaign organisation of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, says more than 60 leaders and members of the governor’s party are currently in police detention.
Mr Adeleke is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party in the 15 August off-cycle governorship election.
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The organisation said the arrests were illegal and called for the immediate release of the detained party members.
It made the demand in a statement issued on Saturday by Bamidele Sallam, the chairman of its Media and Publicity Sub-Committee.
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Mr Sallam, who represents Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, urged the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene 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.
Previous petition
This call comes barely five days after the campaign council petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja, seeking the unconditional release of the governor’s supporters allegedly arrested and detained by the police.
The campaign spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, who spoke with journalists after submitting the petition, accused the police in Osun State of intimidating the governor’s supporters ahead of the election.
Mr Olajengbesi alleged that several supporters of the governor had been arrested and unlawfully detained without justification. He urged the NHRC to intervene and secure justice for the affected persons.
The campaign council had also written to President Bola Tinubu, complaining about the alleged intimidation of its supporters ahead of the election.
Political rivalry and violent clashes have intensified across Osun in recent weeks.
Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), believed to be aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC), recently took over motor parks across the state, displacing officials installed by the state government.
The development sparked violent confrontations between rival groups, with several people, including passers-by, reportedly injured while fleeing the clashes
Police operatives have also raided the Osogbo residence of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, arresting him and five others over alleged vote-buying.
The police said they recovered 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 deployed a new Commissioner of Police, Samuel Erale, to oversee election security in the state. The deployment followed months of demands by the state government for the removal of the former commissioner, Ibrahim Gotan, whom it accused of partisanship and of favouring one political party in handling election-related security issues.
However, the police have repeatedly denied the allegation.
These developments have heightened political tension, making the Osun governorship election one of the most closely watched contests in the South-west in recent years.
For decades, Osun politics has largely been dominated by two major parties. However, the emergence of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a viable third force has reshaped the political landscape ahead of the election.
READ ALSO: APGA candidate withdraws from Osun election, backs APC’s Oyebamiji
Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cleared 13 political parties to participate in the election after the withdrawal of the APGA candidate, Adeshina Adeyemi-Doro, the contest is expected to be between three leading candidates: Mr Adeleke of the Accord Party, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC and Najeem Salaam of the ADC.
The three camps are expected to dominate the race because of their established political structures, financial strength, grassroots mobilisation, elite endorsements and statewide visibility.
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