By John Dike, Osogbo
The arrest of the Accord Party candidate for Ijesa South Federal Constituency in the 2026 general election, Popoola Alaba, popularly known as Alabama, has triggered a fresh political controversy in Osun State, with the police and the Imole Campaign Council presenting sharply different accounts of the circumstances surrounding his detention.
While the Osun State Police Command said Alaba was arrested in connection with a petition bordering on alleged illegal mining and other offences, the Imole Campaign Council, the campaign organisation rooting for Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election, described the incident as an unlawful abduction and demanded his immediate and unconditional release.
The campaign council also accused Senator Francis Fadahunsi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly masterminding Alaba’s arrest in an attempt to keep Accord Party leaders away from political activities ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The allegations have further heightened political tension in the state, coming at a time when political parties and their supporters are engaged in an increasingly intense campaign ahead of the election.
The Police Command said the arrest of Alaba was not politically motivated, insisting that it followed a petition submitted to the Inspector-General of Police on July 4, 2026.
According to the Command, the petition borders on alleged illegal mining and other offences, prompting operatives from the Force Headquarters in Abuja, working in collaboration with police officers in Osun State, to effect Alaba’s arrest on Friday morning.
The Command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the arrest was carried out as part of an investigation into the issues raised in the petition.
The police explanation was issued after reports emerged that Alaba and other Accord Party members had been taken into custody, leading to accusations by the political camp that the arrest was connected to the forthcoming governorship election.
Ojelabi, however, maintained that the police action was based on an investigation and not on the political affiliation of the suspect.
The Command also alleged that the arrest was followed by an attempt by a suspected associate of Alaba to interfere with the operation.
According to Ojelabi, the suspected associate allegedly seized a police vehicle and damaged it, purportedly in an attempt to attack police personnel and facilitate the release of the detained Accord candidate.
“Some guy, suspected to be his boy, seized the police vehicle, damaged the vehicle, in an attempt to attack the police and probably rescue their master,” the police spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The Command further disclosed that four other persons arrested in connection with the incident were being investigated.
The police did not, in the account available at the time of filing this report, disclose the full details of the petition against Alaba or establish that the allegations contained in it had been proven.
Instead, the Command said the matter remained under investigation.
TICC rejects police account
The Imole Campaign Council, however, rejected the police explanation and offered an entirely different account of the incident.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, the campaign council demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Alaba.
The council alleged that Alaba and three other Accord Party members were abducted during a meeting with party canvassers.
According to TICC, the Accord members were meeting with canvassers when a team of policemen allegedly invaded the premises and forcefully took them away.
The council alleged that some party members were also physically assaulted during the operation.
TICC specifically named one Wemimo, whom it described as a security detail of Senator Francis Fadahunsi, alleging that he led or was involved in the operation alongside police officers.
The campaign council further alleged that the arrest was masterminded by Fadahunsi, whom it accused of attempting to keep Alaba and other Accord leaders out of circulation until after the governorship election.
“Information available to us indicates that the arrest was masterminded by Senator Fadahunsi whose intention it is to keep Alaba and several other Accord leaders out of circulation till after elections,” the statement said.
Alleged secret meeting
TICC also made a more serious allegation concerning the relationship between the political actor and security authorities in the state.
The campaign council claimed that it had credible intelligence indicating that Alaba’s arrest was one of the outcomes of an alleged secret meeting involving Senator Fadahunsi, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, and another senior security official in the state.
According to the council, Accord leaders were allegedly identified at the purported meeting for arrest and detention.
The allegation, if established, could raise serious concerns about the neutrality of security agencies during the election period.
TICC warned that the Osun State Police Command and Commissioner Gotan would be held responsible if anything untoward happened to Alaba while in custody.
The council’s statement accused the police command of what it described as political errands and harassment of its members.
A fresh political flashpoint
The controversy over Alaba’s arrest is the latest in a series of political and security disputes that have characterised the build-up to the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.
The election has already been marked by accusations and counter-accusations involving the major political parties, with claims of political violence, intimidation, arrests, alleged harassment and attempts to restrict the activities of rival political groups.
The latest incident is particularly significant because Alaba is not merely a party supporter but the Accord Party’s candidate for Ijesa South Federal Constituency.
His arrest therefore has the potential to generate further political tension, especially if the investigation extends over a prolonged period.
For the police, however, the central issue remains the petition allegedly submitted to the Inspector-General of Police.
For TICC, the issue is one of alleged political persecution and the use of security agencies to disrupt the activities of opposition figures.
TICC raises alarm over death of Accord member
The campaign council also used its statement on Alaba’s arrest to raise concerns over the alleged killing of another Accord Party member, Yomi David Akanji, in Osogbo.
According to TICC, Akanji was shot dead by suspected political thugs a few metres from his residence in the Olude area of the state capital on Friday night.
The council said the deceased, who was a father of three, was attacked while inside his vehicle and was allegedly unable to escape from the assailants before he was shot.
TICC linked the alleged killing to the broader security concerns surrounding the election and accused the police command of failing to adequately protect its members.
The August 15 governorship election has become increasingly competitive, with Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party seeking another term and the APC mounting a strong challenge.
