By John Dike, Osogbo
Tension is rising in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election, as the Imole Campaign Council (TICC) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) make fresh allegations over security, policing and the handling of a high-profile criminal investigation.
The latest exchanges followed the recent working visit of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Olatunji Disu, to the state, during which political stakeholders renewed calls for peaceful campaigns and credible policing before, during and after the election.
Firing the first salvo, the Imole Campaign Council (TICC), the campaign organisation supporting Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election, levelled allegations against the state’s police, boss, Mr. Ibrahim Gotan.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo, the council’s spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, accused the Commissioner of Police of compromising the integrity of the police investigation into the alleged assassination attempt on the Director-General of the AMBO Campaign Organisation, Hon. Wole Oke.
Olajengbesi alleged that a newly surfaced video contradicted the official version of events presented by the State Police Command and raised fundamental questions about the professionalism, neutrality and credibility of the investigation.
According to him, the video exposed what he described as inconsistencies in the police narrative and reinforced the council’s position that innocent persons, including leaders and members of the Accord Party, had been deliberately targeted for political reasons.
He said, “The video raises fundamental questions about the integrity of the investigation conducted by the Osun State Police Command.
“It contradicts the public claims made during the parade of the suspects and strengthens our long-held position that innocent people and leaders of the Accord were deliberately targeted for political reasons.”
The campaign council demanded that the Commissioner of Police immediately releases the complete and unedited confessional statements of all suspects together with the full video recordings of their interrogation from the point of arrest until the conclusion of the investigation.
According to the council, only the release of the complete interrogation process would enable Nigerians to independently determine the facts instead of relying on what it described as carefully selected narratives.
Olajengbesi questioned why the police publicly claimed that influential political figures were allegedly mentioned during interrogation while declining to release the complete statements and recordings.
He argued that selective disclosure of information had created doubts about the impartiality of the investigation and had weakened public confidence in the police.
The campaign council warned that continued refusal by the police to release the requested materials would strengthen public suspicion that the investigation had been politically influenced.
It therefore appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Olatunji Disu, and the Police Service Commission to intervene by ordering an independent review of the entire investigation with a view to determining whether due process was followed.
The council also urged the police to arraign the suspect immediately if sufficient evidence existed to sustain the allegations before a competent court.
Olajengbesi further alleged that information available to the council suggested that Hon. Wole Oke was mounting pressure on the police to grant administrative bail to the suspect in order to prevent the matter from being subjected to judicial scrutiny.
He maintained that if investigators genuinely possessed credible evidence against the suspect, the proper legal and constitutional step would be to file charges before a court of competent jurisdiction where all parties would have the opportunity to present and challenge the evidence.
“The only credible and lawful course of action is to arraign the suspect before a competent court and allow the facts to be tested transparently in accordance with the law,” he stated.
Reaffirming the council’s commitment to peaceful politics, Olajengbesi said the Imole Campaign Council would continue to oppose any attempt to use security agencies or other state institutions against political opponents.
He added that the emergence of the alleged interrogation video marked the beginning of what he described as the truth coming to light and vowed that the campaign council would continue to pursue what it called justice and accountability.
The Osun State Government has consistently denied allegations that it is harbouring political thugs within the Government House, describing such claims as false, baseless and politically motivated.
Similarly, the government has repeatedly maintained that opposition parties are attempting to distract public attention from its developmental programmes as the governorship election approaches.
However, firing back in a statement issued on Monday by its Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the APC in the state claimed that remarks allegedly made by the Inspector-General of Police during his visit had validated the party’s long-standing allegation that Governor Adeleke was harbouring suspected political hoodlums within the Osun State Government House.
According to the party, the state police boss, Gotan had been given the difficult responsibility of “smoking out” alleged criminals from the Government House following what the party described as the IGP’s directive during his visit.
The opposition party alleged that the governor had extended what it described as constitutional protection to individuals it referred to as hardened political thugs, claiming they were being shielded from arrest, investigation and prosecution.
The APC recalled that during the IGP’s meeting with the governor, the police chief reportedly informed the governor that allegations had been made accusing him of providing refuge for suspected political hoodlums within the Government House.
According to the party, the IGP thereafter informed the Commissioner of Police that he knew the appropriate professional steps to take in handling the matter.
Building on that claim, the APC urged the police to widen any investigation beyond the Government House to include other locations allegedly linked to the governor and members of his family.
The party alleged that if any security operation was to be conducted, investigators should also search other facilities allegedly connected to the Adeleke family, claiming — without providing evidence — that suspects could have been relocated after the allegations became public.
The APC maintained that any investigation limited to the Government House alone would be inadequate.
The opposition further accused the Adeleke administration of turning the Government House into what it described as a sanctuary for political hoodlums, insisting that such an allegation was unprecedented in the political history of Osun State.
According to the APC, the alleged development represented a departure from the legacies of former leaders of the state and reflected what it described as poor governance under the present administration.
The party further alleged that the Adeleke government had failed to deliver meaningful development and had instead relied on propaganda to promote its achievements.
Expressing optimism ahead of the forthcoming governorship election, the APC said its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), remained the most qualified person to govern the state, describing him as hardworking, resourceful and capable of providing purposeful leadership.
The party also criticised the state’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. Kolapo Alimi, over comments he reportedly made after the IGP’s visit.
According to the APC, Alimi’s criticism of the Inspector-General of Police amounted to an afterthought intended to divert public attention from the security issues allegedly raised during the visit.
It argued that the state government had continued to politicise security matters instead of responding directly to the allegations it said were brought to public attention by the police authorities.
The party further alleged that the government’s response amounted to a damage-control exercise coming after the public had already formed opinions about the controversy.
As of the time of filing this report, the Osun State Police Command had not issued any fresh official response to the allegations contained in the APC statement or those made by the Imole Campaign Council.
Hon. Wole Oke had also not publicly responded to the claims made against him by the council.
