As varied reactions trail the arrest and detention of Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in Osun, Teslim Igbalaye, The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), in charge of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election, on Thursday deplored what it termed pursuit of a political agenda by the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, ahead of August 15 gubernatorial poll.

It is recalled the Police on Wednesday confirmed that the SSG and five other suspects were round up in his private residence located in Oroki Estate, Osogbo for alleged electoral offences and harbouring a wanted murder suspect.

A cash sum of N4.8 million, two Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), voter register and other exhibits were allegedly recovered from Igbalaye’s house.

Reacting over the incident, TICC, in a statement by its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, said, “If Mr. Gotan or anyone for that matter in the Osun Police Command have so much interest in the APC, the honourable thing for them is to resign and join politics proper.”

Condemning the arrest of Igbalaye and other members of Accord, he argued that the Police had allegedly abandoned its constitutional duties for political errands, indicating attempt to influence next month governorship polls.

“For a very long time, we have consistently raised concerns on the open partisanship of the Osun Police Command under Mr. Gotan and highlights conducts that are clearly contrary to policing duties. The unlawful raid on the home and arrest of the SSG, Hon. Igbalaye, has proven our concerns right.

“In a rush to cover its track, the Osun Police Command ended up exposing its shady deal to take out critical leaders and mobilisers of Accord out of circulation to provide an open ground for those in the APC who put them on the errand to rig the August 15 governorship poll without any resistance.

“It is important to stress that Police watch-list, if any, is its internal information of the force and until made public through the a ‘wanted declaration’, it is therefore irresponsible and a brazen act of blackmail for the Force to try and make an issue out of presence of any individual purportedly on its watch list in the home of a political and community leader like Alhaji Igbalaye, “Olajengbesi stressed.

While contending that police allegation of vote buying against the SSG was inconsequential in the context of Electoral Act 2026, TICC spokesperson stated: “Electoral offences are well defined by the laws, and no where in the Electoral Act, 2026, supports the Police mischievous position on bribery for votes more than two weeks to the election.”

According to him, “we make bold to say that there is no legal restriction to holding N4.8 million cash in the range that was reportedly found in the home of Alhaji Igbalaye. Even if we go by the Money Laundering Act, the N4.8 million in Alhaji Igbalaye’s home is still below the N5 million threshold set for individual.

“Our findings indicated that Accord mobilisers were meeting when the Police unlawfully invaded the home of the SSG and the money in question was meant for their logistics, including transportation to their various destinations.

“The voter’s register is a public information shared with all the 14 political parties that will be participating in the August 15 governorship poll and doesn’t involve anyway amount to electoral offence, “Olajengbesi added.

He, however, tasked the Police to speed up the arrest of hoodlums ago, who recently carted away PVCs and other electoral materials in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government and Akarabata, in Modakeke Area Office.

“We therefore call on the Police authority to immediately cause the release of the SSG, Alhaji Igbalaye, and other political prisoners hounded in police detentions for their political choices. Democracy should be about the contest of ideas, not the rule of force, and the Police should know that it’s job is strictly law enforcement, not forcing leadership choice on the people, “Olajengbesi posited.