The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), a campaign organisation for Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election, has accused the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state of sponsoring coordinated attacks on campaign materials belonging to the Accord Party across parts of the state.
In a statement issued on Friday by its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, the council alleged that billboards belonging to the Imole Campaign and the Accord Party were vandalised in the early hours of the day in several local government areas, including Irewole, Ayedaade, Irepodun and Osogbo, the state capital.
The group claimed that the attacks were politically motivated and linked to “desperate elements” within the Osun State APC.
TICC further alleged that the operation was coordinated by a suspected thug identified as Asiri Eniba, whom it accused of carrying out the attacks with the support or acquiescence of some security operatives.
“We have it on good authority that this operation was coordinated by a notorious thug identified as Asiri Eniba, allegedly aided by some compromised security operatives who supervised or looked away while these criminal acts were carried out,” the statement said.
The campaign council described the development as a threat to democratic participation and political freedom in the state.
It accused the APC of resorting to intimidation and destruction of opposition campaign materials because it had allegedly failed to present a convincing alternative agenda to voters ahead of the governorship election.
The group called on the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to investigate the alleged attacks and prosecute those responsible.
It also appealed to civil society organisations, election observers, human rights groups and the international community to monitor what it described as rising political tension in Osun State.
“The people of Osun State must begin to pay close attention to the desperation currently consuming the Osun APC. Having failed to inspire the people with any meaningful agenda or alternative vision for governance, and being overwhelmed by the massive acceptance
“Governor Ademola Adeleke continues to enjoy across the state, the APC and its operatives now appear determined to embrace intimidation, violence, destruction of opposition materials, and fear tactics as a political strategy.
“This is not ordinary politics. This is a direct threat to democratic engagement, political freedom, and peaceful participation in the electoral process,” the statement added.
According to the statement, Governor Adeleke remains focused on governance and service delivery despite the alleged attacks.
The APC in Osun State had yet to respond to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
Osun police react
Reacting to the allegations, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Zachariah, a deputy suprintendent of police, said the police had commenced an investigation into the incident.
Mr Zachariah told PREMIUM TIMES that a member of the Accord Party reported the damaged billboards to the police but did not accuse any individual or group of carrying out the act.
“From the report we have, the person that came to report the incident told us that he wasn’t suspecting anybody.
“Although we discovered that some billboards were damaged, when he came to make the report, he said he wasn’t suspecting anybody,” he said.
The police spokesperson said officers accompanied the complainant to inspect the damaged billboards and that investigations were ongoing to determine how the incident occurred and those responsible.
“As at the point he was making the report, officers went with him to ascertain the items damaged, and investigation has commenced to know how it was damaged or by whom it was damaged,” he added.
Mr Zachariah also urged political parties and their supporters to abide by electoral rules and avoid acts capable of causing violence ahead of the election.
“Everybody is aware of the rules guiding the election. We have a series of stakeholders’ meetings with security agencies and political parties. Let everybody adhere to the rules and use our own rules in the forthcoming election,” he said.
Osun State has witnessed pockets of political violence during previous election cycles, particularly during governorship contests involving the APC and the PDP.
In the build-up to the 2022 governorship election won by Ademola Adeleke, supporters of rival parties accused one another of attacks, intimidation and destruction of campaign materials in parts of the state. Security agencies repeatedly held peace meetings with political parties and warned against violence during campaigns.
APC Counters Allegation
Responding to the accusations, the Osun APC Governorship Campaign Council denied involvement in the alleged vandalism and accused the Adeleke administration of orchestrating the incident to discredit the opposition.
In a statement signed by Oluremi Omowaiye, the campaign spokesperson, the party described the allegations by the Imole Campaign Council as false and baseless.
The APC claimed that campaign materials belonging to its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, had also been destroyed by suspected political thugs allegedly linked to the state government and the Accord Party.
“We state unequivocally that this allegation is false, baseless, and a desperate attempt to “hang a dog in order to give it a bad name.” If anything, it is the campaign billboards and promotional materials of our governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), that have suffered relentless destruction at the hands of political thugs visibly linked to the Osun State Government and its sanguinary Accord Party.
ALSO READ: Davido joins Osun governorship campaign, backs Adeleke’s re-election bid
“This latest falsehood, self-vandalizing billboard and turning around to blame our party, is another diversionary tactic from the coven of economic buccaneers feeding fat on the resources of Osun State, whose sole objective is to distract public attention from the monumental failures and corruption allegations trailing the Adeleke administration,” the statement read.
According to the statement, recent reports alleging investigations involving the governor’s Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, the state Accountant-General, Rasheed Alabi, and other officials had generated public concern in the state.
The APC also referenced allegations involving the hayndling of ecological funds, federal grants and local government allocations, although it did not provide evidence to support the claims.
It said, “Specifically, there are allegations bordering on the diversion and expenditure without appropriation of the N14.9 billion ecological fund meant for victims of rainstorms and floods, diversion of the N2 billion Federal Government grant intended for the procurement of modern buses, as well as the alleged diversion of over N100 billion belonging to local governments in Osun State.
“Expectedly, the people of Osun are deeply angered by these disturbing revelations, especially when contrasted with the visible achievements recorded by the APC-led local governments, which recently distributed over 300 motorcycles and procured 90 Hilux vehicles for security agencies across the state—an achievement the Adeleke administration has failed to match despite accessing N14.9 billion in security votes.”
The party further accused the Adeleke administration of using the controversy to divert attention from allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement involving top government officials.
