Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the police of subjecting Governor Ademola Adeleke and members of the Accord Party to intimidation and persecution before the governorship election.
Alimi said the alleged harassment took different forms, including arrests, detention of party members, disruption of campaign activities and attacks by suspected political thugs.
The commissioner made the allegations on Sunday while appearing on Agbami Oselu, a Yoruba public affairs programme aired by a radio station in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
According to him, the alleged pressure on Adeleke and his supporters continued throughout the electioneering period, with the Accord Party facing difficulties in organising rallies and protecting its members during political activities.
Alimi claimed that some Accord members were attacked by political thugs allegedly sponsored by a rival political party, while security agencies failed to provide adequate protection.
He said the situation became more difficult because party members were afraid to defend themselves whenever they came under attack.
“We dared not respond if their thugs attacked us because they would turn around and say we were the ones that attacked them and before you know it, the police would arrest our members and detain them,” Alimi said.
The commissioner also accused the police of making it difficult for the Accord Party to hold some of its major campaign events.
He recalled that the party had planned a mega rally for Thursday, August 13, but allegedly had to abandon the plan after the police told its organisers that the APC had already scheduled an event for the same day.
According to him, the Accord Party subsequently moved the rally to Wednesday, August 12.
He said the police again raised an objection, claiming that the APC had another public programme scheduled for that date.
“We then decided to shift our rally back to Wednesday, August 12, but the police again said the APC also had another public event slated for the day,” he said.
Alimi further alleged that the party encountered another obstacle when it attempted to use Freedom Park in Osogbo for one of its political programmes.
He said officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation were brought in to claim ownership of the facility and prevent the Accord Party from using it.
“They even denied us the use of the Freedom Park by bringing in officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation who claimed ownership of the park and insisted that the facility would not be available for our use.
“But we know that the Freedom Park, which was built during the Rauf Aregbesola administration, is owned by the state government but we had to let go to avoid trouble,” he said.
The commissioner also spoke about another campaign event the party allegedly cancelled over concerns about possible violence.
He said the Accord Party had planned to hold a political gathering at the open field of Fakunle Comprehensive High School in Osogbo.
According to him, the party received a security report indicating that political thugs had allegedly been mobilised to attack its supporters at the venue.
Alimi said the information forced the party to cancel the programme despite having made preparations for the event.
“At a point during the campaign, we slated a political event in the open field at Fakunle Comprehensive High School, Osogbo. A few days before the date, we received a security report that political thugs had been sponsored to attack our members during the event.
“We had to cancel the event owing to security concerns. But the police turned around to say that we should have gone ahead with the event, even when we knew they would not respond to our call if the thugs attacked us,” Alimi said.
The commissioner, however, said the alleged persecution was not limited to the campaign period.
He linked the situation to other political and administrative challenges faced by the Adeleke administration, including the withholding of local government allocations and the freezing of state government accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Alimi said the financial pressure placed a heavy burden on the state government, particularly in meeting its monthly obligations to workers.
He claimed that the Adeleke administration had been spending about N6.5 billion every month to pay primary school teachers and council workers from its available resources.
The commissioner also recalled the disagreement between Adeleke and the Federal Government over the financial situation of Osun State.
According to him, the governor had at one point publicly asked President Bola Tinubu what more he was expected to do after declaring his support for the President’s 2027 re-election bid.
Alimi said the President later contacted Adeleke and assured him of the Federal Government’s support.
However, according to the commissioner, the governor was told that little changed after the conversation.
