• APC urges workers to resist alleged N20,000 Greek gift
• INEC to conduct mock accreditation exercise

Against the backdrop of the August 15, 2026 gubernatorial polls in Osun State, candidates on the platform of the Accord Party (AP), yesterday, urged President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu; the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and other stakeholders to save them from alleged politically motivated arrests, witch-hunting and persecution.

They said that the recent arrest of some prominent leaders, including the candidate of the Accord Party for Ijesa South Federal Constituency, Popoola Alaba, allegedly portrayed the Osun State Police Command as pursuing narrow political interests and agenda.

Spokesperson for the Accord Party’s candidates contesting elections into the National and State Assemblies, Bamidele Salam, during a media briefing in Osogbo, chided the police for becoming a willing tool in the hands of desperate political actors.

Salam said that the alleged illegal arrest of members of the party as a result of trumped-up petitions was inimical to peace in the state and a threat to democratic tenets.

He further stated that rather than investigate the reported interference with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) lawful activities, the police chose to arrest the citizen who raised the alarm, describing the development as “indefensible and a dangerous assault on civic responsibility.”

He called on the IGP to urgently intervene by ensuring that officers under his command in Osun State operate strictly within the confines of the Constitution and the law and ensure Nigerians are not persecuted because of political opinion or legitimate democratic association.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, advised civil servants to resist what it termed alleged ‘Greek gift’ of N20,000 each from Governor Ademola Adeleke.

It alleged that Adeleke, who is the candidate of the Accord Party, had perfected a plan to buy votes of all the workers by crediting their individual bank accounts with the cash as part of his moves to avoid electoral defeat.

A statement by the APC’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, said the purported largesse would also be extended to all local councils’ employees.

He said that information at the disposal of the opposition party indicated that the payment of N20,000 had been approved across board to all the state workers as an inducement for them to vote for him, disclosing that the beneficiaries would start receiving alerts today.

The statement, while warning civil servants to be wary of such financial inducement, reminded them of alleged Adeleke’s failure to pay leave bonuses to all categories of staff from May 2025.

However, the INEC has said that it will conduct a mock accreditation exercise ahead of the governorship election to assess its level of preparedness.

INEC stated this in a statement signed by its Head of Department, Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Inclusivity, Ariyo Rufus, saying that the exercise is scheduled for Saturday, August 1.

According to Rufus, the mock accreditation exercise will be held in designated polling units in 12 local councils across the state’s three senatorial districts.

The selected councils are Osogbo, Olorunda, Ifelodun and Boripe in Osun Central, Egbedore, Ede North, Ede South and Ejigbo in Osun West, as well as Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Oriade and Obokun in Osun East.

INEC explained that the exercise is designed to test the functionality and efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), stressing that there will be no voting during the exercise.

The Commission, therefore, urged all registered voters in the selected polling units to participate with their Permanent Voter Cards, reaffirming its commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive governorship election in Osun State.