The Imole Campaign Council of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Wednesday demanded the immediate release of 86 members of the Accord Party allegedly arrested by the police ahead of the August 8 governorship election in the state.

The campaign also accused the Osun State Commissioner of Police of partisanship, alleging that innocent supporters of Governor Adeleke had been arrested without charges and moved to detention facilities in Abuja, Keffi and Kuje.

Speaking with journalists after visiting the Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) headquarters in Abuja, the spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, Barrister Pelumi Olajengbasi, described the arrests as politically motivated and capable of undermining the credibility of the forthcoming election.

When contacted, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, told The Guardian that he was not aware of the arrest.

“I am not aware. Let me check and get back to you”, he said.

As of the time of filing this report, the commissioner had yet to revert with further details.

But Olajengbasi noted that the detainees had committed no offence and were being targeted simply because they belonged to the Accord Party, which he said is supporting Governor Adeleke’s re-election bid.

“In the last two to three days, over 86 members of the Accord Party have been arrested for no reason. We met with the leadership of the police, but they could not provide any explanation. There is no petition against them and no offence has been committed,” he said.

Olajengbasi alleged that 36 of the detainees had been transferred to the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Keffi, Nasarawa State, while 14 others were taken to the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory.

“These people have been taken from Osun to Abuja by road and detained unnecessarily. There is no single charge against them, no allegation and no explanation. This must not continue,” he said.

The campaign spokesman claimed that the Secretary to the Osun State Government had also been arrested, alleging that the official was apprehended while sensitising residents on the forthcoming election.

He accused the police of abandoning their constitutional responsibility by becoming partisan in the political process.

“There is a need for the Nigerian Police Force to understand that it is a government institution and must not be reduced to a partisan tool during elections. We want a free, fair and credible election where people can freely exercise their democratic rights,” he said.

“The only reason they are being arrested is because they are members of the Accord Party supporting Governor Ademola Adeleke. Some officers even asked them if they were ready to join the APC. That is an embarrassment to Nigeria,” he alleged.

He called on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene urgently, accusing the Osun State Commissioner of Police of bias and warning that his continued supervision of election security could compromise the integrity of the poll.

“If the Commissioner of Police is allowed to supervise security during this election, then the election is already compromised. The Inspector-General must ensure that the police remain neutral and perform their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property,” he said.

The campaign urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene to ensure that security agencies remain impartial before, during and after the election.

Olajengbasi maintained that Nigerians and the international community would be watching the conduct of the security agencies during the election, stressing that democratic institutions must not be used to intimidate political opponents. (The Guardian)

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