- accuses Fadahunsi of using police to target Accord leaders
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 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 supporting Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid, 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.
However, no independent evidence confirming the alleged meeting or the purported decision to target Accord leaders was immediately made available.
The police command had also not, as of the time of filing this report, publicly responded specifically to the allegation of a secret meeting between the commissioner and the senator.
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.
There are 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.
The competing narratives have consequently created two distinct questions: whether Alaba was legitimately arrested in connection with a criminal investigation and whether political considerations influenced the timing or manner of his arrest.
Those questions can only be conclusively answered through a transparent investigation and clarification by the relevant authorities.
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.
However, the allegation concerning Akanji’s death remained separate from the circumstances surrounding Alaba’s arrest.
The police had also not, at the time of filing this report, publicly established the identities or motives of the alleged assailants.
The development nevertheless adds to concerns about the security situation in Osun as political activities intensify.
Election tension rises
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.
The contest has been accompanied by heightened political mobilisation across the state, with the rival camps frequently accusing one another of political violence and attempts to undermine their campaign activities.
The arrest of a prominent Accord candidate, therefore, comes at a politically sensitive period.
Political observers have increasingly called on security agencies to ensure that arrests, investigations and other enforcement actions are based strictly on evidence and the law, rather than political affiliation.
They have also urged political parties to avoid inflammatory allegations capable of escalating tension, particularly where claims of political persecution or electoral manipulation have not been independently established.
For the police, the immediate challenge will be to demonstrate that the investigation involving Alaba is being conducted professionally and transparently.
For the Accord Party and TICC, the challenge will be to substantiate their allegations of political interference and establish that the arrest was connected to an attempt to restrict their campaign activities.
Need for transparency
The controversy also highlights the need for greater transparency whenever politically exposed persons are arrested in the run-up to elections.
The police have said Alaba’s arrest was based on a petition concerning alleged illegal mining and other offences.
However, the precise contents of the petition, the nature of the allegations and the specific offences under investigation have not been publicly detailed.
Similarly, TICC has made serious allegations against Senator Fadahunsi and the police leadership in Osun but has not publicly released evidence to support its claims.
Until the relevant authorities provide further clarification, the allegations on both sides remain claims rather than established facts.
The development also underscores the delicate responsibility confronting security agencies in the final weeks before the election.
Any perception that law enforcement is being used to target political opponents could undermine confidence in the electoral process, while failure to investigate credible allegations of criminal activity could equally weaken public trust in the police.
The Police Command is therefore expected to provide further clarification on the status of Alaba’s investigation, the allegations contained in the petition against him, the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the four other persons and the alleged damage to the police vehicle.
There are also growing expectations that the authorities will clarify the circumstances surrounding the reported death of Yomi David Akanji and establish whether the incident was politically motivated.
As the August 15 governorship election draws closer, the latest controversy reinforces the importance of impartial policing, respect for fundamental rights and restraint by political actors.
For now, the two sides remain sharply divided.
The police insist that Popoola Alaba is being investigated over a petition bordering on alleged illegal mining and other offences, while the Imole Campaign Council insists that the Accord candidate was targeted for political reasons and is demanding his immediate release.
How the police investigation unfolds, and whether the campaign council can substantiate its allegations of political interference, could determine whether the controversy subsides or becomes another major flashpoint in the increasingly charged political atmosphere ahead of the Osun governorship election.
