Segun James
The South-West Forum of the Accord Party has appealed to the international community to urgently intervene over the worsening political violence situation ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.
The forum said the appeal to the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), the United States (US) Government, USAID and UKAID became necessary to safeguard democracy, protect lives and ensure a credible electoral process in the state.
The Secretary of the South-West Forum of the Accord Party and Lagos State Chairman of the party, Hon. Dele Oladeji, made the appeal in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos.
Oladeji alleged that the state had witnessed increasing politically motivated attacks since the commencement of campaigns for the governorship election.
He claimed that members and leaders of the Accord Party, officials of the Osun State Government and relatives of the governor had become targets of violence.
According to him, the attacks have resulted in several deaths and injuries, including that of a 14-year-old boy, with many of the incidents already reported by national print, broadcast and online media.
“In the last couple of months, since the beginning of electioneering in Osun State for the August 15, 2026 governorship election, there has been a steady and rising rate of politically motivated, brutal and fatal attacks on Accord Party members, leaders, as well as officials of the ruling class in Osun State Government and even family members of the governor.
“These fatal attacks have led to loss of lives, including that of a 14-year-old boy, as well as several others. These politically motivated brutal killings have become one too many,” he said.
Oladeji expressed concern that those allegedly responsible for the attacks had neither been arrested nor prosecuted.
He said the inability of security agencies to bring suspects to justice had raised concerns over the commitment of authorities to protect lives and uphold the rule of law.
“The situation has become so worrisome because perpetrators and suspects in this series of assassinations have not been arrested or prosecuted, either to serve as deterrent or to establish justice and fight crime.
“The glaring failure of the security agencies to counter and curtail these fatal attacks and murders shows what we consider a palpable complicity of the federal government.
“This persistent deadly attack, failure by the Nigeria Police to effect arrest of murder suspects and the fact that some named suspects are daily seen in public, being secured by armed police officers, all point to what we believe is state-aided violence, murder and intimidation, which has turned Accord members and leaders into an endangered group,” he alleged.
The Accord Party chieftain also criticised the arrest of the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Hon. Teslim Igbalaye.
He described the arrest as politically motivated and questioned the allegation of vote-buying levelled against the official.
Oladeji said although Igbalaye had been released, the incident was part of what he described as a wider pattern of arrests involving Accord members and political office holders.
“It all came to a shocking point when the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Teslim Igbalaye, was arrested on July 29, 2026, in his home on what we consider baseless and trumped-up charges of vote buying.
“How can the SSG be arrested for vote buying when there is no activity for casting any vote at this time? Though he has been released, his arrest only added to the over one hundred unfounded arrests of Accord members and political office holders,” he said.
Oladeji further alleged that 61 Accord Party members remained in police custody after being arrested and transferred from Osun to the Federal Capital Territory.
He claimed they were being detained without warrants, formal charges or court orders.
“As at midnight of July 29, 2026, there were still 61 Accord Party members in police captivity without any warrant of arrest, any accusation of crime or any petition.
“They were arrested by the police and taken hundreds of miles away to the Federal Capital Territory. They are being kept in different detention facilities without any remand order or arraignment in court,” he alleged.
The Accord Party leader also accused the leadership of the Nigeria Police of partisanship.
He alleged that the police were being used to influence the political process in favour of the ruling party.
“With what we consider the complicity of the police hierarchy, and the fact that the Inspector-General of Police was a former ADC to President Bola Tinubu, all points to what we see as an obvious mandate to use the instrumentality of the Nigeria Police to conquer democratic territories for the President and his party, the APC.
“These foreboding acts of militarising the democratic process to sabotage democratic governance are reminiscent of political developments that undermined Nigeria’s First and Second Republics,” he alleged.
Oladeji warned against a repeat of past political crises, saying the nation should learn from history.
He urged the international community to help preserve democracy and electoral integrity in Osun.
“This is why I am sending this SOS to concerned world organisations to intervene and save democratic governance and the sanctity of the electoral process in Osun State.
“The Nigeria Police should be made to eschew partisanship, while the Independent National Electoral Commission should act above board in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities,” he said.