Adeleke
The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), leading Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election campaign, has alleged a plot to arrest the Osun State Commissioner for Energy, Ademola Adeyemo, and 45 Accord Party leaders in Irewole Local Government Area ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, the Deputy Director-General of TICC and Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of working with the police to use state security machinery to intimidate residents, silence opposition voices and undermine the democratic process.
Alimi said the development was a threat to democracy, communal peace and the fundamental rights of the people of Osun State.
He disclosed that, beyond the Accord members already arrested and taken to Abuja, intelligence available to the campaign council indicated that Adeyemo and 45 other Accord leaders in the Ikire axis had been marked for arrest on what he described as trumped-up charges before being moved to Abuja.
According to him, similar arrests were being planned in other local government areas in the days leading to the governorship election as part of efforts to intimidate residents, create fear and influence the outcome of the poll.
Alimi alleged that the APC had resorted to violence and state intimidation because it had lost the support of the people, adding that the planned arrest of opposition leaders was aimed at weakening the Accord campaign structure, disenfranchising voters and creating an atmosphere of fear.
He further alleged that intelligence reports linked individuals identified as Ola Abbas, Adeboye Opeyemi and another operative known as “General” to the alleged operation.
The campaign council described the alleged collaboration between partisan actors and security personnel as an abuse of office, a betrayal of public trust and a violation of the professional code guiding security agencies.
Alimi called on the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, to direct the Osun State Police Command, the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) and special squads from Abuja to stop what he described as arbitrary arrests and harassment of opposition leaders, including those allegedly marked for transfer to Abuja.
He also condemned the arrest of an Accord chieftain, Taofeek Akinyemi, who was recently shot by gunmen in Ikire, alleging that he was arrested without a warrant after posting a video of the attack and mentioning the names of those he claimed were responsible.
The campaign council demanded Akinyemi’s immediate and unconditional release or his prompt arraignment before a court of competent jurisdiction if any valid charge existed.
Alimi added that the eyes of the nation and the international community were on Osun State, stressing that upholding the rule of law, maintaining professional neutrality and protecting the rights of all citizens, regardless of political affiliation, remained essential to preserving confidence in security institutions and safeguarding democracy.