Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Accord Party Governorship Campaign Council in Osun State has accused the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, of ordering the continued detention of a House of Representatives candidate, Popoola Alaba, despite claims that investigators found no evidence linking him to any criminal offence. The allegation, made by the campaign council's spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, has heightened political tensions less than two weeks before the state's governorship election scheduled for August 15.
Olajengbesi claimed that Alaba, who is the Accord Party candidate for the Ijesa South Federal Constituency and popularly known as "Alabama," was arrested by police officers while attending a meeting with party canvassers in Osun State. He was subsequently transferred to Abuja, where he has been detained at the Intelligence Response Team office in Wuse Zone 7 without being arraigned before any court. The spokesperson alleged that the police officers handling the investigation admitted that there was no formal petition against Alaba and that nothing incriminating was recovered from him. "We met with the officers in charge of the investigation against Popoola Alaba, and they said there is no petition against him, nothing was found on him, and it is unfortunate that the instruction is from the IGP. This is the sad experience we have in Osun State," Olajengbesi said.
According to the Accord Party, Alaba was merely carrying out political mobilisation when he was apprehended, and the initial allegations that he was arrested with firearms were unsupported by the investigators. Olajengbesi challenged the Nigeria Police Force to publicly disclose any evidence supporting the allegations against Alaba, arguing that the continued silence only raises more questions. "If the police truly recovered firearms or any illegal items from him, such evidence should already be before Nigerians. The continued silence only raises more questions," he stated. He further claimed that representatives of the party were told by investigators that they were acting on directives from the Inspector-General of Police to keep Alaba in custody pending further instructions, despite the absence of any lawful basis for his continued detention.
The arrest and subsequent transfer of Alaba to Abuja have been described by the Imole Campaign Council, the organisation supporting Governor Ademola Adeleke's re-election bid, as politically motivated. The council had earlier demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Alaba and three other Accord Party members who were arrested during the same incident. In a statement, the council alleged that the police action was intended to prevent Accord Party leaders from participating in political activities ahead of the election. The controversy comes amid a broader pattern of arrests and detentions of opposition figures in Osun State, including the recent arrest and subsequent release of the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, over alleged vote-buying.
The Osun State Police Command had earlier defended the arrest of Alaba, insisting that the action followed an existing petition alleging criminal offences. However, the Accord Party has maintained that no such petition exists and that the detention is a clear case of political persecution. As of the time of this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not publicly responded to the specific allegations made by the Accord Party spokesman. The party has called on the police and the media to investigate the matter and present any evidence supporting the allegations against Alaba, insisting that transparency is the only way to reassure the public. "If there is credible evidence, it should be made available for everyone to see. Otherwise, justice must be allowed to take its course," Olajengbesi said.
The detention of Popoola Alaba has become a flashpoint in the increasingly tense political atmosphere in Osun State, where the ruling Accord Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress have traded accusations of violence, intimidation, and electoral manipulation. With the election just over a week away, the opposition's call for the IGP to publicly assure residents of a peaceful and credible electoral process has taken on renewed urgency. For now, Alaba remains in police custody, and the question of what charges, if any, will be brought against him remains unanswered.
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