Ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, candidates of the Accord Party have called on President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate what they described as the harassment of their members by the Osun State Police Command.
The appeal followed the arrest of the party’s House of Representatives candidate for Ijesa South Federal Constituency, Popoola Alaba, which the party believes is linked to the coming election.
Speaking on behalf of the party’s caucus, the member representing Ede, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency, Bamidele Salam, said the arrest of Alaba lacked justification. He claimed the incident was part of a series of actions directed at Accord members and leaders across the state in the build-up to the governorship poll.
Salam said the repeated arrests had raised fears among party members and created suspicion that some security personnel might be working with political interests to intimidate the opposition. He argued that using petitions to arrest party members could affect public confidence in the electoral process and threaten peace in the state.
The lawmaker appealed to the President to step into the matter and ensure that security agencies remain neutral before, during and after the election. He also asked for the immediate release of Alaba and urged the Inspector-General of Police to ensure officers carry out their duties professionally while respecting the rights of all political parties.
However, the Osun State Police Command rejected claims that the arrest was politically motivated. The command said Alaba was taken into custody after a petition submitted to the office of the Inspector-General of Police was forwarded to the state command for investigation.
Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi explained that the arrest followed the normal investigative process and had no connection with politics or the forthcoming governorship election. According to the command, the action was based entirely on the petition received and not on the candidate’s political activities.