Osun govt, Accord allege plot to arrest officials ahead of governorship poll
— Seek Tinubu’s intervention
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –
The Osun State Government and the Accord Party have raised concerns over an alleged plan to deploy a special police squad to the state to arrest government officials and party leaders ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the government said it had received credible reports about the creation and planned deployment of the squad, allegedly led by a Chief Superintendent of Police.
According to Alimi, the team is expected to arrive in Osun at any moment to begin operations targeting prominent Accord Party members and some government officials.
He noted that such selective and partisan operations could heighten political tension and expose officials and party leaders to harassment and intimidation before and during the election.
The party also alleged that the squad may have held meetings with leaders of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, including its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, regarding logistics and operational arrangements for the planned deployment.
The government and the Accord Party called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, security agencies, civil society organisations and the international community to monitor developments in Osun ahead of the poll.
“We hereby place an urgent appeal to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the international community to take note of the looming planned mass arrest of, and attacks on, key figures of the Accord Party in Osun State,” the statement said.
It also urged the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to ensure professionalism, warning that the people of the state would resist through lawful means any attempt to undermine the democratic process through intimidation, harassment or abuse of state power.
