By John Dike, Osogbo
Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that Governor Ademola Adeleke is plotting to use the judiciary to secure the arrest and detention of the newly inaugurated executives of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the APC claimed it had uncovered what it described as a coordinated plan by the state government to procure a court order for the arrest of the state chairman and local government chairmen of the newly sworn-in NURTW executives.
According to the opposition party, the alleged move is intended to intimidate the transport union leadership and create an atmosphere of fear in the days leading up to the governorship poll.
The APC further alleged that Governor Adeleke had begun laying the groundwork for the planned arrests during a political rally in Osogbo on Monday, where he reiterated his role as the state’s Chief Security Officer and made comments directed at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the immediate past governor of Osun State, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, who is now the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
The party claimed it had received information indicating that the state government had instituted what it described as politically motivated criminal charges against some NURTW executives and was seeking alternative means of serving court processes on the affected individuals.
According to the statement, the government allegedly planned to obtain warrants of arrest and remand orders after seeking permission from the court to serve the defendants through substituted means rather than personal service.
The APC also alleged that the case had been assigned multiple hearing dates within a short period and was expected to come up again on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
The party further claimed that the alleged plan involved collaboration between certain Accord Party leaders and a High Court judge in Osogbo, although it admitted that investigations were still ongoing to establish the identity of the judicial officer allegedly involved.
Describing the development as a “judicial coup,” the APC urged the Osun State Judiciary to resist any attempt to use the courts as instruments for political persecution.
“It won’t be dignifying for the judiciary to allow its name to be dragged in the mud because of politics,” the statement said, adding that the ongoing judicial vacation raised questions about the urgency of the matter if the charges were genuinely necessary.
The opposition party further alleged that the development reinforced its belief that Governor Adeleke and the Accord Party were responsible for actions capable of disrupting public peace before the election.
The APC therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police and the leadership of other security agencies to closely monitor developments in Osun State and take proactive measures to prevent any breakdown of law and order before, during and after the August 15 governorship election.
The party also urged the nation’s security agencies to pay attention to what it described as Governor Adeleke’s “inflammatory and inciting” remarks at the Osogbo political rally, where it alleged he made references to the political crisis of 1983.
