Barely two weeks to the August 15 Osun State governorship election, the Imole Campaign Council of Governor Ademola Adeleke has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), alleging widespread human rights violations, politically motivated arrests and abuse of police powers.

While calling on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, to ensure neutrality before, during and after the poll, the campaign council urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that security agencies are not deployed as instruments of political intimidation.

Addressing journalists shortly after submitting the petition to the NHRC headquarters in Abuja on Monday, the spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, accused the police of targeting members and supporters of the governor ahead of the election.

According to him, several supporters of the campaign had been arrested and detained in police facilities across the country without lawful justification.

“This morning we came to the National Human Rights Commission to formally bring to its attention what we consider the reckless abuse of human rights currently taking place in Osun State simply because an election is around the corner.

“We want the Inspector-General of Police to assure Nigerians, especially the people of Osun State, that the August 15 governorship election will be free, fair and credible, and that the Nigeria Police Force still has the capacity to provide security without bias,” he said.

Olajengbesi alleged that following public outrage over what he described as arbitrary arrests of opposition supporters, the police authorities initially redeployed the Osun State Commissioner of Police, leading to the release of 26 detained members of the campaign.

He claimed that the officer had since been returned to the state after alleged pressure was mounted on the Inspector-General of Police.

“We were informed that after the Commissioner of Police was transferred, he was returned to Osun State following threats against the Inspector-General of Police. If that is true, it raises serious concerns about the independence of the police hierarchy,” he alleged.

He claimed that the police now have two commissioners operating in Osun State, one overseeing election security and another providing administrative support, a development he described as confusing and capable of eroding public confidence in the electoral process.

The campaign spokesperson also alleged that one of its members, Popoola Alaba popularly known as Alabama, the Ijesa South House of Representative Accord candidate, was unlawfully arrested while campaigning in Osogbo and subsequently transferred to Abuja.

According to him, the politician is currently being detained on the strength of a detention order obtained from a Magistrate Court in Dutse, Abuja, over allegations of armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms.

Olajengbesi, however, insisted that no incriminating item was recovered from the politician at the time of his arrest.

“We visited the police facility where he is being detained and were informed that nothing was found on him at the point of arrest. Yet an ex parte detention order was obtained from a magistrate court without presenting any evidence linking him to the offences alleged.

“If he has committed any offence, the police should charge him before a competent court immediately. They cannot continue to detain an innocent citizen indefinitely under questionable circumstances,” he said.

He accused the police of weaponising the criminal justice system to intimidate political opponents, describing the development as a dangerous precedent capable of undermining democracy.
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While appealing to the NHRC to investigate the allegations, the campaign urged the commission to intervene urgently to safeguard the rights of citizens and political actors participating in the election.

Olajengbesi also called on President Tinubu to ensure that federal institutions remain impartial throughout the electoral process.

“The President must not allow the Nigeria Police Force or any government institution to become an instrument of oppression. Every Nigerian, regardless of political affiliation, deserves protection under the law.

“What happens in Osun on August 15 will be a test of Nigeria’s democracy. The security agencies must inspire confidence, not fear,” he said.

Responding to questions on recent remarks by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda that Osun was a “must-win” state for the ruling party, Olajengbesi maintained that the outcome of the election should be determined solely by the electorate.

“The people of Osun will decide who governs them through their votes. Democracy is about the will of the people, not political declarations. We are confident that Governor Ademola Adeleke remains the choice of the majority of Osun people,” he said.