2023 Polls: Court restrains police from arresting Osun PDP leaders

The Federal High Court in Osogbo has restrained the police from arresting leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State.

The Judge, N. Ayo-Emmanuel, gave the order on Thursday in a suit filed by the state chapter of the PDP and four leaders of the party.

Thefour other plaintiffs in the suit are Ibukun Fadipe, Sarafadeen Awotunde, Ojo Michael and Abiodun Ojo .

The respondents are the Inspector-General of Police, Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Zone XI Command Osun State) and Osun State Commissioner of Police.

The plaintiffs told the court that opposition party members in connivance with the police planned to have them detained ahead of Saturday’s election.

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In his ruling, Justice Ayo-Emmanuel granted tge application of the plaintiffs pending the determination of their substantive originating summons for right enforcement.

“An order restraining all the defendants from arresting, detaining or further arresting/detaining the plaintiffs and their members across Osun State so as not to infringe or further infringe on the rights of the plaintiffs to dignity of human person, liberty and freedom of movement and expression guaranteed under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and under the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (particularly in relation to the opportunity to freely, actively and outrightly participate in the forthcoming Osun State House of Assembly election scheduled to take place on the 18th March, 2023), pending the final determination of the originating summons in this case,” he ordered.

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“An order restraining all the defendants from making efforts or restrict liberty of the plaintiffs, dignity of human person, and freedom of movement and expression guaranteed under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and under the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (particularly in relation to the opportunity to freely, actively and outrightly participate in the forthcoming Osun State House of Assembly election scheduled to take place on the 18th March, 2023), pending the final determination of the originating summons in this case.”

In the past few days, the PDP and All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have been trading allegations of plans to disrupt the state House of Assembly elections in the state.

The APC had called on the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, to order the arrest of some PDP leaders who it named as masterminds of the alleged planned disruption of election.

But the PDP said leaders of the APC were the ones planning to disrupt the elections.

The police, however, said they were investigating the claims, warning that anyone suspected of electoral offenses will be made to face the law.