Osun poll: Adeleke accuses police of transferring 60 Accord leaders to Abuja prisons

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has accused the police of relocating more than 60 Accord Party leaders to correctional centres in Abuja and Nasarawa State, insisting they should have been tried in courts within Osun if they committed any offence.

The governor made the allegation on Thursday during a peace summit held in Osogbo ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

According to a statement posted on his X page, Adeleke said his administration had faced months of intimidation and violence, which he blamed on former governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola.

“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,” he said.

He alleged that security agencies had failed to remain neutral.

“Our gathering is to endorse peace but my government and people are facing police-sanctioned violence and intimidation.”

Adeleke specifically claimed that more than 60 Accord Party leaders, including House of Representatives candidate Hon. Alaba, had been arrested and detained outside Osun State.

“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,” he said.

The governor questioned why the suspects were not arraigned before courts in Osun.

“Why Abuja? We have both the Federal High Court and State High Courts in Osun State, where anyone can be arraigned.”

He further alleged that Secretary to the State Government Teslim Igbalaye was arrested on “trumped up charges” after police allegedly raided his residence without a valid court warrant.

Adeleke said eight members of his party had lost their lives and over 20 others sustained injuries in politically motivated attacks, alleging that no perpetrators had been brought to justice.

“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 stated.

He urged the Inspector-General of Police to transfer those in custody back to Osun for prosecution, where necessary.

“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.

The governor also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene by cautioning Oyetola and the Osun Commissioner of Police against actions capable of escalating political tensions.

The allegations followed the arrest of Igbalaye and five others over alleged vote-buying. According to police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi, officers recovered N4.8 million and other election-related materials from a property linked to the SSG.

The accusations come amid heightened political tension in Osun State, where the Accord Party and the APC have continued to exchange allegations ahead of the governorship election.

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