Accord Party has said its members and leaders are being intimidated and unlawfully arrested ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun state.
Earlier in the week, Osun state police command arrested Teslim Igbalaye, the secretary to the state government (SSG), and other Accord members over alleged vote-buying.
The SSG was later released after interrogation.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Maxwell Mgbudem, Accord national chairman, claimed that about 100 members and leaders of the party have been arrested.
The party national chairman said some of the party members, leaders, candidates, and supporters arrested have been allegedly transferred to Abuja.
He alleged that the arrests were politically motivated and aimed at weakening the party’s campaign ahead of the governorship poll.
Mgbudem said Ademola Adeleke, governor of the state, will be “massively re-elected” despite the alleged crackdown on party members.
He said the Osun police command has ignored complaints over the alleged killings of Accord members, attacks on its campaign council and offices, and destruction of campaign billboards.
“These attacks were duly reported to the police and other security agencies in the state; sadly, none of these known hoodlums was arrested, let alone prosecuted, to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.
“As if this is not enough to subdue the party before the election, the Police invaded the residences of six commissioners and the Secretary to the State Government in the most despicable Gestapo-style operations, setting aside decency, dignity, professionalism and democratic ethics.”
The party national chairman renewed a call for the removal of Ibrahim Gotan as the Osun state commissioner of police, alleging that he is partisan and could no longer guarantee a level playing field for political parties in the election.
Mgbudem asked President Bola Tinubu, Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser; Tunji Disu, inspector-general of police; civil society organisations and the international community to intervene to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
There have been tensions in Osun ahead of the governorship election, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Accord trading accusations and verbal attacks over the political violence in the state.
