Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of waging “a war against the people” of Osun State, in the countdown to the governorship election.
Olawepo-Hashim alleged that recent actions of the federal government crossed the line from politics into what he described as ‘punitive state oppression.’
In a strongly-worded statement he personally issued over the weekend, Hashim, who is also Co-Chairman of the Movement for Democratic Renewal (MDR), alleged that withholding of Osun State’s local government allocations, freezing of state government accounts and the provision of security protection for APC supporters allegedly involved in attacks on opposition members formed part of a coordinated attempt to undermine democracy and punish the people of Osun for political reasons.
While acknowledging reports that the restrictions placed on the state’s accounts by the EFCC had been lifted following the president’s directive, Hashim maintained that the measures should never have been imposed in the first place.
He described those actions as abuse of federal power; inconsistent with constitutional democracy.
Hashim said: This is not politics. It is the punitive conduct of a federal colonial state treating the people of Osun as vassals.”
He further noted that democracy cannot survive where federal institutions are deployed as political weapons against elected state governments, insisting that the sovereignty of the people must never be subordinated to partisan interests.
Hashim also issued a stern warning to public officials whom he alleged participated in implementing the measures, saying they would bear personal responsibility for any unlawful actions, irrespective of how the political dispute ultimately ends.
“However this ends, all state officials involved in this political brigandage must note that they will be held individually accountable for their actions,” he declared.
The presidential candidate urged Nigerians and democratic institutions to resist what he described as the weaponisation of state power, maintaining that no democracy can flourish where constitutional powers are allegedly abused to intimidate political opponents and undermine the will of the electorate.
With the Osun State governorship election approaching, Hashim called on president Tinubu to ensure that every remaining obstacle to a free, peaceful and credible poll is removed.
“It is not too late to apply the brakes. President Tinubu should immediately instruct all security agencies and federal officials to remain neutral and allow the people of Osun to make their choices in an atmosphere devoid of intimidation. The world is watching,” he added.
Hashim concluded by urging the people of Osun to reject intimidation and participate peacefully in the August 15, 2026 governorship election.
“Stand your ground. Refuse to be cowed into submission. We are still a democracy and a republic. Come out peacefully and exercise your constitutional right to vote,” he urged the electorate.