Adeleke and Oyetola
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has called on the British Government to impose visa bans and economic sanctions on some political leaders he accused of allegedly aiding and abetting political violence in the state ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
In a statement issued on Monday by Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor made the call while receiving a British Government delegation on the forthcoming Osun governorship election. Adeleke listed the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), Hon. Wole Oke, and other leaders as those he alleged were promoting political violence in the state.
While commending security chiefs for intervening to curb the violence, Adeleke accused the named politicians of tactfully and openly encouraging violent acts. He reiterated his administration’s zero tolerance for violence and urged security agencies to arrest any suspect, irrespective of political affiliation.
According to him, “I have zero tolerance for violence. I have told the Inspector General of Police that if my son is involved, he should be arrested. I told the world we harbour no thugs anywhere, and the police can and should arrest any suspect. There must be strict law enforcement.”
The governor’s remarks came amid the reported killing of an Accord Party member at Ijebu-Jesa, which he said brought to five the number of Accord members allegedly killed, while 15 others were critically wounded by suspected APC thugs since the commencement of the 2026 political campaigns.
Adeleke charged security agencies to go after suspects and their sponsors, insisting that publicly available utterances and actions of top APC leaders in Osun justified his call for economic sanctions and visa restrictions against the listed politicians.
“I believe we must have a deterrent against those promoting political violence. We seek visa bans against politicians sponsoring killings and violent attacks. We advocate similar sanctions against security chiefs aiding and abetting such anti-democratic activities.
“Election is not about bloodshed. Osun deserves peace and the freedom to make their choice about who governs them. There must be consequences for those deliberately endangering the lives of our people for selfish political gains,” the governor said.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ADELEKE’S VIDEO
The British delegation, led by Senior Political Adviser Wale Adebajo, said the visit formed part of pre-election peace-building efforts in collaboration with other partners.
Adebajo assured the governor that the British Government supports a peaceful and transparent electoral process and would engage all stakeholders to promote a peaceful atmosphere ahead of the August 15 governorship election while advocating for free and fair polls.