Osun Election Tension Rises as Adeleke Campaign Says Over 60 Accord Members Are in Police Detention
The Osun State governorship election faces heightened tension as Governor Adeleke's Imole Campaign Council alleges the illegal detention of over 60 Accord Party members by police. This comes amidst escalating political rivalry, violent clashes, and a police raid on the SSG's residence, further complicating the closely watched three-way race.
Political tension is rising in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election, with Governor Ademola Adeleke's campaign alleging that more than 60 Accord Party members and leaders are currently being held by the police.
The Imole Campaign Council, which is coordinating Adeleke's re-election campaign, has demanded their immediate release and called on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene.
Bamidele Sallam, chairman of the council's Media and Publicity Sub-Committee, made the demand in a statement, alleging that the arrests were part of a pattern of intimidation targeting the governor's supporters ahead of the election.
Among those reportedly detained is an Accord Party candidate for the House of Representatives in Ijesa South.
The campaign's claims have not independently established that the arrests were unlawful. However, Premium Times reported that the Imole Campaign Council says more than 60 of its leaders and members are currently in police detention, adding to concerns about the increasingly tense atmosphere surrounding the election.
The dispute did not begin this weekend.
Adeleke's campaign had earlier petitioned the National Human Rights Commission over what it described as the unlawful arrest and detention of the governor's supporters. It has also repeatedly accused security authorities in the state of acting in ways that favour its political opponents.
The police have rejected allegations of political bias.
Tensions have nevertheless intensified as campaigning enters its final days, with arrests, accusations of intimidation and clashes involving rival political interests dominating the build-up to the vote.
The campaign has also previously sought the removal of Osun's police commissioner, alleging partisanship in the handling of election-related security.
TheCable reported that the Imole Campaign Council formally asked the Inspector-General of Police to redeploy the commissioner, an allegation the police have disputed.
Separate security operations have added to the political tension. Police have arrested individuals associated with the state government over alleged election-related offences, while the Adeleke camp has questioned the circumstances surrounding some of those operations.
With voting only days away, the competing accounts have placed the conduct of security agencies under increasing scrutiny.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the Osun governorship election for Saturday, August 15, making the remaining days particularly sensitive for political parties, security agencies and voters.
Governor Adeleke, now seeking another term on the Accord Party platform, faces a competitive contest in a state where political alignments have shifted considerably ahead of the election.
But beyond which party eventually wins, the immediate concern is whether the final days of campaigning and the election itself can proceed without violence, intimidation or politically motivated interference.
For Osun voters, the allegations surrounding the arrests have therefore become more than another dispute between rival political camps. They raise a fundamental question that will follow the election through August 15: whether every side will be allowed to compete — and voters allowed to make their choice — freely.