The Accord Party has appealed to the international community to closely monitor the security situation in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election, alleging a wave of politically motivated violence, intimidation and arrests that it says could undermine the credibility of the poll.
The party specifically called on the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as other international partners, to intervene by encouraging Nigerian authorities to guarantee the safety of political actors, ensure a level playing field for all parties and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Secretary of the South-West Forum of Accord and Lagos State Chairman of the party, Dele Oladeji.
Oladeji alleged that the security climate in Osun State had deteriorated since campaigns for the governorship election commenced, claiming that members of the Accord Party, government officials and relatives of Governor Ademola Adeleke had come under repeated attacks.
“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 members, leaders, as well as officials of the ruling class in Osun State Government and even family members of the governor,” he alleged.
According to him, the alleged attacks had resulted in several casualties, including the death of a 14-year-old boy, while those responsible had yet to be brought to justice.
“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,” Oladeji said.
The Accord chieftain expressed concern over what he described as the failure of security agencies to investigate and prosecute suspects linked to the incidents, arguing that the situation had heightened fears among political stakeholders ahead of the election.
He also criticised the arrest of the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, on July 29 over allegations of vote-buying, describing the action as politically motivated.
“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 alleged.
Oladeji further claimed that 61 members of the party remained in police custody after being arrested in Osun State and transferred to the Federal Capital Territory.
“As of midnight of July 29, 2026, there were still 61 Accord 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 claimed.
The party also accused the Nigeria Police Force of partisanship, alleging that law enforcement agencies were being used to influence the outcome of the governorship election in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“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,” Oladeji alleged.
He warned that continued intimidation of political actors could erode public confidence in the electoral process and urged the international community to closely observe developments in Osun State before and during the election.
“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,” he said.
Oladeji also called on the Nigeria Police Force to remain politically neutral and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to discharge its constitutional responsibilities with fairness and impartiality.
“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 added.
The allegations contained in the statement had not been independently verified as of the time of filing this report, and neither the Nigeria Police Force nor the Independent National Electoral Commission had issued an official response to the claims.
