Osun Governorship Election: Accord Party Demands Withdrawal of Police Commissioner
…says CP compromised, not neutral
The Accord Party has called for the immediate replacement of the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Ibrahim Gotan, accusing him of partisanship ahead of the governorship election on August 5.
The party accused the police of detaining close 86 members of the party, including candidates standing for elections and government officials.
The party said the police commissioner is spearheading the unlawful arrests and detention of Accord Party members across the state, thereby compromising the integrity of the forthcoming election.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi said said, “In the last two, three days, over 86 members of the Accord Party have been arrested for no reason. These people were arrested and brought by road to Abuja and are being detained here unnecessarily.”
“We have met with the leadership of the police and they cannot provide any explanation to us. There is no petition against them. These people have committed no offence. The Commissioner of Police in Osun State is completely compromised.”
The Accord Party spokesperson said the action of the police has undermined confidence in the neutrality of the command and the credibility of the electoral process.
“There is a need for us to have a free, impartial election, an election where people can freely express their will. Just now I have been informed the SSG of Osun State has been arrested for no reason because he was sensitising his people about the election,” he added.
When contacted on phone, Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan claimed he was not aware of the arrests.
In a related development, the police in Osun has confirmed the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, and five others in Osogbo.
According to the police, the SSG is a member of a criminal gang hiding within the Oroki Estate area of the state capital.
In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, the command claimed that one of those apprehended was Oladele Abiodun, also known as “Ashipa,” a suspected of involvement in serious crimes, including murder.
The police identified the six persons taken into custody as Hon. Igbalaye Teslim, 47; Akande Taiwo, 60; Oladele Abiodun, 38; Adeyemo Lukman, 45; Olaoye Muftau, 50; and Aderemi Musliu, 40.
Ojelabi said officers recovered several items from the premises, including ₦4,810,500 in cash, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine, a printer, two voter cards and a voter register covering Wards 1 to 15.
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