Fresh allegations and counter-allegations between the ruling Accord Party and the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday overshadowed the signing of a Peace Accord ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.

While Governor Ademola Adeleke accused the police of intimidating members of his administration and party, the APC demanded the dismissal of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, over his arrest.

Also, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, alleged a plot to implicate and arrest him.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reaffirmed its readiness for the poll, describing it as a major test of its preparedness for the 2027 General Election.

Political parties, governorship candidates and key stakeholders in Osun State signed the accord, pledging to ensure a peaceful, credible and violence-free poll.

The accord, funded by the European Union (EU) and organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC), was signed in Osogbo by representatives of the 14 political parties cleared for the election, including the ruling Accord Party, the All Progressives Congress, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Accord Party’s governorship candidate, signed on behalf of his party alongside its chairman, Victor Akande, while the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, was represented by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi.

The event was attended by traditional rulers, civil society organisations, security chiefs and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the National Peace Committee, former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, described the accord as another milestone in the committee’s efforts to promote dialogue, build trust and ensure political competition does not degenerate into violence.

He urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to reject violence, hate speech, misinformation and every action capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral process.

“No electoral victory is worth the loss of a single life. The greatest victory we can all achieve is a peaceful election that truly reflects the freely expressed will of the people,” he said.

Onaiyekan also called on INEC, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations and the media to discharge their responsibilities with professionalism, impartiality and a shared commitment to peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, also appealed for peaceful conduct, reminding political actors that the interests of the state should take precedence over partisan considerations.

He urged residents to maintain the Omoluabi values associated with Osun and to vote peacefully without compromising their conscience.

“Power belongs to the people. We do not want violence. Osun is bigger than all of us. Let us remain peaceful, go to our polling units and vote according to our conscience. Don’t let anybody buy your conscience,” the monarch said.

Adeleke alleges police-backed intimidation of Accord supporters

Governor Adeleke, however, said he had considered boycotting the ceremony because of what he described as the alleged killing, arrest and intimidation of members of his cabinet and supporters of the Accord Party.

While reaffirming his commitment to peace, he alleged that members of his party were facing police-backed intimidation and called on the National Peace Committee to intervene.

“Our gathering is to endorse peace, but my people and government are facing police-sanctioned intimidation. War is being waged actively against my people by the Osun APC, openly supported by the Osun State Police Command,” he alleged.

He further alleged: “In the last three months, we have lost eight party members with more than 20 injured in gun attacks. There is no single prosecution or active arrest to date. The perpetrators are known Osun APC thugs who committed crimes in the presence of the police. Video evidence is everywhere on the internet.

“Top government officials are being harassed and intimidated. More than 60 Accord leaders have been arrested and moved to Abuja, and remanded in Abuja prisons and Nasarawa State prisons,

“This is supposed to be a democracy, where the police uphold the rule of law. Under which law can a state police commissioner take instructions from Mr Gboyega Oyetola to arrest Accord Party members in Osun State, move them to Abuja, and hold them in prisons without any charge?

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

“I ask the Peace Committee to prevail upon the Inspector General of Police to return everyone in police custody. 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.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, restated the commission’s readiness to conduct a credible, free and acceptable election.

In his closing remarks, former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, said the ceremony was more than the signing of a document, describing it as a public reaffirmation of stakeholders’ commitment to democratic elections in the state.

He said the signatures represented a solemn pledge by political parties and their candidates to uphold restraint, respect for the rule of law and democratic principles throughout the electoral process.

Agwai stressed that the success of the accord would ultimately be measured by the conduct of political actors and their supporters rather than the signatures appended to the document.

“History rarely remembers those who signed agreements; it remembers those who honoured them. Today, we have signed a Peace Accord; tomorrow, we must live by it. That is the true test of our commitment to democracy,” he said.

The committee expressed confidence that the people of Osun would demonstrate that democracy is strongest where peace prevails, and the freely expressed will of the people is respected.

APC asks Adeleke to sack Osun SSG over arrest

The All Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Council in Osun yesterday called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to dismiss the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, following his arrest by the police over allegations of vote buying and harbouring a wanted murder suspect.

The council also urged the governor to stop what it described as efforts to secure the release of Abiodun Oladele Arowomole, popularly known as Abbey Ashipa, who was arrested alongside the SSG.

Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, the APC Governorship Campaign Council’s Head of Media and Publicity, Remi Omowaiye, described the state government’s defence of Igbalaye’s arrest as a disregard for the rule of law.

He alleged that the governor was mounting pressure on the police to release Ashipa, whom he claimed was wanted in connection with the alleged murders of several residents of the state.

Omowaiye further alleged that Ashipa had been linked to the killings of Sheriff Oyewale, Muraina Olayiwola, popularly known as “Montanna”, Waheed, also known as “My Friend”, Tajudeen Rabiu, Ismahil Dudu, Kazeem Oyebamiji, popularly known as “Mosquito”, and other APC supporters.

He rallied state residents to urge the governor to refrain from shielding individuals facing criminal allegations, arguing that such actions would undermine the rule of law and the country’s criminal justice system.

According to him, a government committed to peace and security should not be seen obstructing lawful investigations or protecting any individual from accountability.

“If Governor Ademola Adeleke is not an enabler and aider of criminality in the state, he should immediately sack Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, the Secretary to the State Government, in whose home a wanted murder suspect was arrested.

“Adeleke should rise above pettiness, lower his desperation for a second term and fully cooperate with law enforcement agencies by allowing the investigative process to run its course.

“A governor who is genuinely popular would not need the services of terrors such as Emir Ajagungbade, Nurudeen Alawonle, Abbey Ashipa, Solo Iwara or other janjaweed to secure electoral victory,” Omowaiye said.

He commended officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, Osun State Command, and the Inspector-General of Police’s special squad for their professionalism and commitment to tackling criminality in the state.

SSG regains freedom as Adeleke campaign accuses police of political persecution

The Secretary to the Osun State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, who was arrested by the police alongside five other suspects over alleged electoral offences, has regained his freedom after spending a night in custody.

The spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council (TICC), Pelumi Olajengbesi, announced the development in a statement yesterday, thanking the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, and the Osun State Commissioner of Police for what he described as responding to public calls for the SSG’s release.

“The Nigerian Police Force best serves the nation when it stands against oppression and upholds justice and the rule of law. Welcome back, Chief Igbalaye Teslim. Your courage and sacrifice for the people of Osun State will not be forgotten. Our SSG is out, back and solid,” he said.

It was, however, unclear whether one Abiodun Oladele Arowomole, popularly known as Ashipa, who is wanted over an alleged murder case, and the four other suspects arrested alongside Igbalaye were also released.

The police had on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of Igbalaye and five other suspects at his residence in Oroki Estate, Osogbo, over alleged electoral offences and for allegedly harbouring a wanted murder suspect.

Police said a cash sum of N4.8 million, two Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), a voters’ register and other exhibits were recovered during the operation.

Before Igbalaye’s release, the Imole Campaign Council, which is coordinating Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid, had condemned the arrest, accusing the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, of pursuing a political agenda ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

In a statement, Olajengbesi alleged that the Osun Police Command had abandoned its constitutional responsibilities in favour of partisan interests.

“If Mr Gotan or anyone, for that matter, in the Osun Police Command has so much interest in the APC, the honourable thing for them is to resign and join politics proper,” he said.

He argued that the arrest of the SSG and other members of the Accord Party was part of a plot to weaken the ruling party ahead of the governorship election.

“For a very long time, we have consistently raised concerns about the open partisanship of the Osun Police Command under Mr Gotan. The unlawful raid on the home and arrest of the SSG, Igbalaye, have proven our concerns right.

“In a rush to cover its tracks, the Osun Police Command ended up exposing its shady deal to take critical leaders and mobilisers of Accord out of circulation to provide an open ground for those in the APC who put them on the errand to rig the August 15 governorship poll without any resistance,” he alleged.

Olajengbesi also dismissed the allegation of vote buying, arguing that the Electoral Act 2026 did not support the police’s position.

According to him, the N4.8 million recovered from the residence was below the threshold prescribed under the Money Laundering Act for individuals and was meant to cover logistics for party mobilisers.

He added that the voters’ register was a public document available to all 14 political parties participating in the election and therefore could not constitute an electoral offence.

The campaign council also urged the police to intensify efforts to arrest those responsible for the recent theft of PVCs and other electoral materials in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area, and Akarabata in the Modakeke Area Office.

It further maintained that democracy should be driven by the contest of ideas rather than intimidation, while urging security agencies to remain impartial in the build-up to the governorship poll.

Assembly Speaker alleges plot to arrest him ahead of governorship poll

The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, yesterday alleged that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, was plotting to implicate and arrest him ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

Egbedun made the allegation while reacting to the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, and others by operatives of the Osun State Police Command for alleged vote-buying.

In a statement posted on his social media page yesterday, the speaker described Igbalaye’s arrest as an abuse of power, which he said should concern every patriotic Nigerian.

“For the past two weeks, I have received information suggesting that some of his officers have been moving around, allegedly planning and strategising on how to implicate and arrest me,” Egbedun alleged.

He claimed that his disagreement with the police commissioner began after he confronted him over an alleged plan by political thugs to attack his residence.

Poll will test INEC’s readiness for 2027, says Amupitan

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Joash Amupitan, has described the August 15 Osun State governorship election as the most significant off-cycle poll on Nigeria’s current electoral calendar, saying it would serve as a critical test of the commission’s preparedness for the 2027 General Election.

Amupitan stated this during a courtesy visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, at the Enuwa Palace in Ile-Ife, where he sought the monarch’s support in promoting a peaceful, credible and violence-free election.

He said that beyond determining Osun’s next governor, the election would demonstrate INEC’s operational readiness, administrative integrity and deployment of electoral technology ahead of the next nationwide polls.

The INEC chairman appealed to the Ooni to use his influence to discourage political violence, vote-buying, and other actions that could undermine the integrity of the electoral process.

Expressing concern over reports of voter inducement and rising political tension, Amupitan warned that democracy is weakened when voters are financially influenced or intimidated.

He assured the monarch that the commission had completed key operational preparations for the election, noting that 2,339,233 registered voters would cast their ballots at 3,763 polling units across the state’s 30 local government areas.

According to him, 14 political parties are participating in the governorship contest.(The Guardian)

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