Candidates of the Accord Party contesting the August 15 gubernatorial election in Osun State have appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Human Rights Commission, and other relevant stakeholders to intervene over what they described as politically motivated arrests, harassment, and persecution of their members.
The candidates alleged that the recent arrest of some of the party’s prominent members, including the Accord candidate for the Ijesa South Federal Constituency, Mr. Popoola Alaba, suggested that the Osun State Police Command was pursuing partisan interests rather than discharging its constitutional responsibilities impartially.
Speaking during a press conference in Osogbo on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Accord candidates seeking election into the National and State Assemblies, Hon. Bamidele Salam, accused the police of allowing themselves to be used by desperate political actors. He argued that the alleged unlawful arrests of party members based on what he described as fabricated petitions posed a threat to peace in the state and undermined democratic principles.
According to him, “we want to draw the attention of Nigerians, the Inspector-General of Police, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society organisations and the international community to what has become a dangerous pattern of harassment and politically motivated arrests of leaders and members of our great party by the Osun State Police Command.
“The Nigerian Police Force is constitutionally established to protect lives and property, uphold the rule of law and serve all citizens without fear or favour. Sadly, recent developments in Osun State portray a Police Command that appears increasingly willing to lend itself to partisan interests through frivolous arrests and trumped-up allegations targeted at prominent leaders of our party.
“The latest and perhaps most disturbing example is the arrest of our party’s candidate for Ijesa South Federal Constituency, Mr Popoola Alaba, who, we understand, was quietly moved to Abuja this morning.
“Initially, we deliberately exercised restraint. We believed it was only fair to give the Osun State Police Command the benefit of the doubt in the event that there existed any genuine criminal allegation requiring investigation.
“However, our confidence was shattered after reading the Command’s official explanation in the newspapers. Rather than inspire public confidence, the statement raised more troubling questions than answers.
“The Police claimed Mr Popoola Alaba was arrested over an alleged petition from an unnamed petitioner, yet failed to disclose the identity, status or locus of that petitioner, thereby denying Nigerians the opportunity to assess the credibility or possible political motivation behind such allegations.”
Questioning the police’s handling of the matter, Salam said, “Is this now the standard investigative procedure of the Nigeria Police Force?
Is invitation no longer part of criminal investigation? Has due process been completely abandoned whenever an any of our party leader is involved? These are legitimate questions demanding immediate answers.”
The federal lawmaker representing Ede/Egbedore/Ejigbo/Awo Federal Constituency also condemned the arrest of Barrister Olaniyan Sodiq, a legal practitioner and Accord Party operative in Ward 4, Ido-Osun, Egbedore Local Government Area. He said Sodiq’s alleged offence was challenging what he believed to be unlawful interference by an APC leader in INEC’s statutory responsibility during the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Salam maintained that rather than investigate the reported interference with INEC’s activities, the police chose to arrest the individual who raised the alarm, describing the action as “indefensible and a dangerous assault on civic responsibility.”
He called on the Inspector General of Police to urgently intervene by ensuring that officers of the Osun State Police Command carry out their duties strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law. He also urged the police hierarchy to ensure that no Nigerian is persecuted on account of political affiliation or legitimate democratic participation.
