Anxiety is mounting ahead of the Osun State governorship election after the state police command arrested the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaiye, alongside five other people. Officers said they recovered more than N4.8m in cash, voter cards and a copy of the voter register during a raid on Igbalaiye’s Osogbo residence, linking the items to alleged electoral offences.
Governor Ademola Adeleke’s government and campaign team swiftly rejected the claims, branding the operation politically motivated. They accused the police of storming the home without a valid search warrant and whisking family members away to undisclosed locations.
The Adeleke camp claimed more than 86 party members had been picked up across the state in recent days without justification, with its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, alleging that dozens had been moved to detention facilities in Keffi and Kuje.
Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi disputed those figures, insisting only six adults were arrested on the strength of credible intelligence, with investigators probing possible vote-buying and conspiracy. The state government has demanded the intervention of the Inspector-General of Police and the removal of the state Commissioner of Police, describing the arrests as a campaign of repression.
Source: Punch.
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