KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, alleged more than 60 Accord Party members arrested in Osun were transferred to Abuja and Nasarawa prisons ahead of August 15 election.
- Speaking at a peace summit in Osogbo on Thursday, Adeleke accused former governor and minister, Gboyega Oyetola, and the Osun police of backing violence and intimidation.
- The Osun State Police Command said it arrested SSG, Teslim Igbalaye, and five others over alleged vote-buying, recovering ₦4.8 million and election materials, with investigations ongoing.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has alleged that more than 60 members of the Accord Party (A) arrested in the state were transferred to correctional facilities in Abuja and Nasarawa State despite the presence of competent courts in Osun.
The governor made the allegation on Thursday during a peace summit held in Osogbo ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
In a statement shared on his official handle, Adeleke claimed that his administration and supporters had come under sustained attacks in the past three months and accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and former governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, of orchestrating the violence.
Adeleke said, “I should have boycotted this peace meeting because of the violence unleashed on Osun State in the last few months, on the directive of Gboyega Oyetola.
“Our gathering is to endorse peace but my government and people are facing police-sanctioned violence and intimidation.”
Adeleke accused the Osun State Police Command of aiding attacks on his supporters and alleged that dozens of political figures had been moved out of the state after their arrest.
He further stated, “More than 60 Accord leaders have been arrested and moved to Abuja, and remanded in Abuja prisons and Nasarawa State prisons, including an Accord candidate for House of Representatives, Hon. Alaba.
“Why Abuja? We have both the Federal High Court and State High Courts in Osun State, where anyone can be arraigned.”
The governor urged the Inspector-General of Police to return those in custody to Osun for prosecution if they were found to have committed any offence.
“Those remanded in prisons should be returned to Osun State, and be charged to courts in Osun State, if the police can show that they have committed any crime,” he added.
SSG Arrested On ‘Trumped-Up Charges’
The governor also criticised the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, alleging that police raided his residence without a court-authorised search warrant.
Adeleke described the allegations against the SSG as politically motivated.
He further claimed that eight members of his party had been killed in recent attacks, while more than 20 others sustained injuries.
“There is no single prosecution or active arrest till date. The perpetrators are known Osun APC thugs with crimes committed in the presence of the police,” he alleged.
The governor appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene by cautioning Oyetola and the Osun State Commissioner of Police against actions capable of escalating political tension ahead of the governorship election.
He urged all stakeholders to ensure that the election is conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.
The allegations came after the Osun State Police Command arrested Igbalaye and five others during a raid on a residence linked to the SSG over alleged vote-buying and other suspected electoral offences.
The police said operatives recovered ₦4.8 million in cash, a voter register, Permanent Voter Cards (PVC), a laptop, a photocopy machine and a printer during the operation, adding that investigations into the matter were ongoing.
