Eniola Yekini
The Imole Campaign Council has alleged that no fewer than 46 leaders and supporters of the ruling Accord Party have been marked for arbitrary arrest ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.
Addressing journalists at an emergency press conference in Osogbo on Sunday, the Deputy Director-General of the council, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly using security agencies to intimidate opposition members in a bid to influence the outcome of the governorship poll.
Alimi alleged that the political atmosphere in the state, particularly in Ikire and its environs, had become increasingly tense due to what he described as politically motivated arrests and harassment of Accord Party members.
He said: “We have received credible security reports that several leaders of the Accord Party and prominent opposition figures have been marked for systematic and unlawful arrests in the days leading to the election.”
He further claimed that the affected party members were to be transferred to Abuja under what he described as trumped-up allegations. Alimi said: “This plot to whisk key opposition leaders away to Abuja under trumped-up charges is a classic playbook designed to weaken our campaign structures, disenfranchise voters and create an atmosphere of fear.”
The campaign council also alleged that a prominent Accord Party stakeholder, Mr. Taofeek Akinyemi, was arrested by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) on Saturday despite being a victim of an earlier attack.
According to Alimi, Akinyemi had survived a gun attack allegedly carried out by suspected APC thugs before his arrest after posting a video of the incident on social media.
“He was arrested because he posted the video of where he was shot and mentioned the names of the perpetrators. A complainant has suddenly become an accused person. What an irony,” Alimi said.