The Osun State campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm over what it describes as the mobilisation of armed political thugs into the state’s Government House, alleging a plot to disrupt Saturday’s governorship election.
The APC in Osun State has alleged that political thugs were mobilised into the Osun State Government House ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, calling on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies deployed for the election to urgently investigate and take measures to safeguard voters and political actors.
Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, APC chieftain Kehinde Ayantunji alleged that the party had received intelligence indicating that a large number of suspected political thugs had been moved into the Government House within the preceding two hours. Speaking with newsmen at the Correspondents’ Chapel in Osogbo on behalf of the campaign media committee, Ayantunji disclosed that the thugs were allegedly imported from Lagos, led by individuals identified as “Olowe” and “Iberu,” and accommodated by the governor and his team.
Ayantunji claimed the intelligence available to the party suggested that some of the individuals were not indigenes of Osun State.
According to Ayantunji, “having realized their imminent defeat in the state capital territory, specifically Osogbo, Irepodun, and Egbedore, the agenda is to mobilize them with funds and ammunition to destabilize Ward 5 in Osogbo Local Government; Wards 4 and 8 in Okini, Egbedore Local Government; Ido Osun; and Ofatedo.”
The campaign council also raised concerns over the deployment of an armoured personnel carrier at the entrance of the Government House, questioning why the security asset was stationed to guard the premises rather than being handed over to security forces deployed for election duties.
Ayantunji said the party found it difficult to understand why security agencies had been unable to arrest the alleged thugs, despite repeatedly raising the issue. He warned that if any harm comes to APC members or any voter during the polls, Governor Ademola Adeleke should be held responsible for allegedly shielding political thugs within the Government House. He added that the party was informing the international community, security agencies, and other stakeholders involved in the Osun election that Governor Adeleke should be held accountable for any attacks on the electorate.
The allegation follows a series of accusations traded between rival camps in the lead-up to the election. Earlier in the campaign, the APC accused thugs it said were backed by the Adeleke-led state government of carrying out violent attacks that killed two of its supporters in Osogbo, calling on the DSS, Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to investigate.
The APC has also alleged that more than 30 of its members have been killed by political thugs in Osun since 2022, including the recent killing of the campaign Director-General’s nephew, Dele Ayegbo, in Esa-Oke.
However, rival parties have made counter-allegations. The Accord Party has alleged that gunmen it described as “APC thugs” launched coordinated attacks on its members and supporters across several local government areas, claiming at least 15 of its members were killed, with houses attacked, vandalised, looted and in some cases burnt.
Separately, the Adeleke-aligned Imole Campaign Council has condemned the release of an APC House of Assembly candidate who was reportedly arrested by the Nigerian Navy while allegedly in possession of a gun, accusing the APC of its own history of political violence in the state.
The allegations come amid heightened political tension and security concerns as the state prepares for the governorship election, with political parties trading accusations over violence and the activities of suspected political thugs. The Osun State Government has expressed condolences to families of people who have lost their lives in violence linked to the election period.
