Hold Governor Adeleke Responsible For Breakdown of Law and Order in Osun – APC Campaign Council

The Osun State APC Governorship Campaign Council on Saturday accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of being responsible for the worsening breakdown of law and order in Osun State, alleging that the governor had failed in his responsibility as the state’s Chief Security Officer.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, the Council through its Director General, Hon. Oluwole Oke, said the security situation in the state had deteriorated to an unprecedented level, arguing that the governor’s conduct in recent months had fallen short of the standard expected of a democratically elected governor.

Oke claimed that governance in Osun had never been reduced to its current state and described as unprecedented what he alleged was the repeated accusation that a sitting governor was harbouring and protecting criminal suspects declared wanted by security agencies.

According to him, Governor Adeleke’s desperation to secure re-election had pushed his administration into political recklessness and dangerous alliances with criminal elements, including kidnappers, violent cultists, terrorists, gun runners and others capable of destabilising the peace of the state.

The APC campaign chief further alleged that the latest strategy of the governor’s political camp was to hide under the guise of secret cult rivalry to arm and unleash political thugs against members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the intention of disguising politically motivated attacks as cult-related violence.

Oke said the party’s concerns were reinforced by an attack that occurred on Saturday at the Oluode-Aranyin area of Osogbo, where a former Accord party member who recently joined the All Progresives Congress (APC), Mr Taofeeq Mustapha, was shot by armed men said to be affiliated with the Accord Party.

He alleged that some of the attackers were seen wearing the insignia of the Accord Party and claimed that Mustapha was targeted after dumping “the rudderless and hopeless Accord Party for APC.”

According to Oke, “residents and eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived in an unmarked brown Toyota Sienna vehicle and fired several shots into the air before opening fire on Mustapha.”

He stated that, “Mustapha narrowly escaped death and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital where he remains in critical condition.”

The APC Campaign Council condemned the attack and called for a thorough, impartial and professional investigation to ensure that everyone connected with the incident is identified, arrested and prosecuted.

Oke urged security agencies not to dismiss political attacks as cult-related violence, insisting that every incident should be investigated without prejudice and that anyone found culpable should face the full weight of the law regardless of political affiliation.

He also called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to intensify efforts to tackle what he described as growing brigandage, hooliganism and political thuggery in the state.

The APC campaign director-general further urged the police to apprehend and prosecute all criminal suspects earlier declared wanted, including individuals he identified as “Governor Adeleke’s appointees — Emir Ajagungbade, Nurudeen Alowonle and Jide Jọda.”

Oke maintained that no individual should enjoy immunity from criminal investigation or prosecution because of political connections or proximity to those in power.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the Osun APC to peaceful, violence-free and issue-based campaigns ahead of the August 15 governorship election, saying the party would continue to mobilise its supporters to conduct themselves peacefully while resisting every attempt at provocation.