Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A fresh political storm erupted in Osun State on Monday, 18 May 2026, after the state government and the Accord Party accused the Inspector General of Police of planning to deploy a special squad to arrest and intimidate key party figures ahead of the 15 August 2026 governorship election. The allegation, contained in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said credible intelligence suggested that a police team led by a Chief Superintendent of Police would soon arrive in the state to begin operations targeting Accord Party leaders and some government officials.
According to the government’s account, the alleged operation was being planned without the knowledge of the Osun State Commissioner of Police, a detail the state described as especially troubling in an already tense political atmosphere. The statement warned that such selective and partisan action, if carried out, could heighten political tension, expose public officials and opposition figures to harassment, and undermine confidence in the electoral process ahead of the poll scheduled for 15 August 2026.
The Osun government and the Accord Party also appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu, security agencies, civil society groups and the international community to monitor events in the state closely. The statement said the people of Osun would resist any attempt to subvert democracy through intimidation or abuse of state power, while urging police authorities to remain neutral and professional as the election season gathers pace.
The latest allegation is unfolding against the background of an earlier and highly controversial shooting incident that has already strained relations between the state government and a police anti-kidnapping unit. On 20 November 2024, the Osun State Government said the Inspector General of Police had ordered the immediate arrest and prosecution of Moses Lohor, described as the head of the police anti-kidnapping squad in the state, after the shooting of Alowonle Iyanda, chairman of the Osun State Motor Transport System. The state government said Mr Iyanda was shot in the abdomen at a police station after his arrest over a domestic dispute, and that he was placed on life support at the Osun State Teaching Hospital in Osogbo.
Police accounts at the time differed sharply from the state government’s version. Reports from November 2024 said the police alleged Mr Iyanda had been shot after he tried to escape arrest, and that a pistol and ammunition were found in his car. The dispute over the facts of that incident, and the subsequent order from the police hierarchy to arrest and prosecute Mr Lohor and members of his team, remains an important part of the wider political tension now resurfacing in Osun.
Governor Ademola Adeleke had also publicly appealed for calm on 20 November 2024, urging transport workers not to take the law into their own hands and saying he had spoken with the police chief and held a closed-door meeting with the state commissioner of police. In that statement, the governor said justice would be served and insisted that the state would not allow violence to disturb peace and stability. That earlier appeal is now being cited by state officials as evidence that the present tension has deep roots and has been building for months.
The new accusation comes at a sensitive moment in Osun politics. The governorship election is set for 15 August 2026, and the state government says any attempt to use security operatives to target opponents would amount to an attack on the democratic process. The Accord Party, which is central to the current dispute, has been caught in wider political disagreements in the state, making the latest allegation part of a broader contest over power, party control and security influence before the vote.
For now, the government’s allegations remain unproven in the public reports reviewed, but they have added another layer of tension to an already heated race. With the polling date approaching, the key question is whether the police will respond formally to the claims and whether political leaders in Osun can keep the campaign environment calm enough for a credible election on 15 August 2026.
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