Gunmen have killed Kolade Eluyera, the son of the Accord Party women leader in Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, sparking fresh political tension ahead of the governorship election.
The incident, which happened late Friday near Onireke Mosque in Ikire, has triggered demands for a full investigation from the Imole Campaign Council, the group coordinating Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election campaign.
Confirming the attack, the Osun State Police Command said a body with gunshot wounds was recovered in the area. Police spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said investigations had begun, while additional officers had been deployed to maintain security.
“We are working with those who brought the corpse to get more information,” he said.
But the killing has already become a subject of political blame game between the PDP and APC camps in the state.
In a statement, the spokesperson for Adeleke’s campaign council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, accused suspected APC thugs of carrying out the attack.
He claimed several complaints and intelligence reports about alleged harassment, abductions and intimidation of Accord Party members in Irewole had earlier been reported to security agencies without action being taken.
Olajengbesi described the situation as a growing threat to democracy and public safety in the state.
“What is unfolding in Osun State is becoming dangerously alarming and a direct threat to political freedom and public peace,” he said.
He also accused security agencies of responding slowly despite repeated warnings of rising political violence in the area.
The campaign council further alleged that the APC was becoming desperate because of what it called the party’s declining support among Osun voters, insisting that residents still strongly support Governor Adeleke’s administration because of its performance.
The council called on the Inspector-General of Police, the DSS and other security agencies to launch an independent investigation into the killing.
However, the APC dismissed the allegations as false and politically motivated.
Kola Olabisi, co-chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Bola Oyebamiji Governorship Campaign Council, said the police should be allowed to investigate the incident without interference.
He accused the Adeleke campaign of trying to exploit the tragedy for political advantage, describing the allegations against APC members as “fabricated and frivolous.”
Olabisi also defended the APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, describing him as a peaceful politician who had no connection to violence.
The killing has added to growing concerns over political tension and security in Osun ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
