Candidates of the Accord Party for the National and State Assembly elections in Osun State have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, to intervene the alleged harassment, intimidation and unlawful arrest of the party’s leaders and members ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

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‎Addressing a press conference in Osogbo on Sunday, the Accord candidate for Ede/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency, Hon. Bamidele Salam, alleged that the Osun State Police Command had adopted a pattern of politically motivated arrests targeted at prominent members of the party.
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‎He claimed the latest incident involved the arrest and transfer of the party’s candidate for Ijesa South Federal Constituency, Mr. Popoola Alaba, to Abuja over an undisclosed petition.
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‎According to Salam, the police failed to disclose the identity of the petitioner or indicate whether Alaba had been invited for questioning before his arrest.
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‎The Accord candidates also condemned the arrest of Barrister Sodiq Olaniyan, a legal practitioner and party member in Ward 4, Ido-Osun, Egbedore Local Government Area.
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‎They alleged that Olaniyan was arrested after questioning what he considered the unlawful involvement of an APC leader during the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
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‎The party demanded his immediate and unconditional release, insisting that raising concerns over electoral activities should not attract criminal prosecution.
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‎Salam further alleged that intelligence available to the party indicated that its Osun East Senatorial candidate, Hon. Ibukun Fadipe, and several other Accord leaders, particularly in the Ijesa axis, had been marked for arrest.
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‎He also alleged that there were plans to use security agencies to intimidate opposition figures ahead of the election, while calling for an independent investigation into the alleged collaboration between the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, and APC Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi.
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‎He equally urged authorities to investigate allegations of plans to deploy thugs disguised as security personnel during the election.
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‎The Accord candidates appealed to President Tinubu to direct all security agencies to remain neutral and uphold the rule of law before, during and after the governorship election.
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‎They also called on the Police Service Commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the National Peace Committee, civil society organisations and the media to closely monitor developments in Osun State to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
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‎The party reiterated its commitment to peaceful, issue-based campaigns and democratic participation, insisting that political differences should not be used as grounds for intimidation or persecution.
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‎It demanded the immediate release of Popoola Alaba, Barrister Sodiq Olaniyan and other members allegedly detained without lawful justification.
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‎The press conference comes amid heightened political activities ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election, with major political parties intensifying campaigns across the state.