By Ismail Azeez
The Osun State chapter of the All Commons Congress (APC) has urged the police and other security agencies to intensify surveillance on political activities in the state, including conducting stop-and-search operations on Accord Party-branded vehicles.
The party made the call while reacting to allegations by the Accord Party that the APC was rebranding its campaign vehicles in Accord Party colours to instigate violence and blame the subsequent attacks on the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
In a statement signed by the Osun APC Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the party described the allegation as false, frivolous, and an attempt to create unnecessary tension ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
Olabisi said its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), and his campaign council were committed to peaceful political engagement, adding that violence was not part of the party’s strategy.
The party accused the Accord Party leadership of engaging in a pattern of making baseless allegations against opposition parties, urging security agencies to investigate the claims and maintain strict neutrality.
The APC also called on the police to place Accord Party leaders and their activities under close watch, alleging that several APC members and supporters had suffered attacks in parts of the state, including Ile-Ife, Owode-Ede, and Osogbo.
According to the statement: “We want to inform members of the public, the police, and other security services in the state that there is no iota of truth in the frivolous allegation by a supposed man of God that our party is embarking on any untoward means to disturb the peace of the state.”
“The Osun State APC cannot now imbibe a culture of violence, which hitherto was not in its character, to ensure the victory of its hardworking, pragmatic, and resourceful governorship candidate, who is sufficiently lettered with enough cognate experience to govern the state.”
“We are used to the antics of the handlers of the Accord Party, right from the time it was known by the nomenclature of the defunct Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), when they were fond of accusing the opposition of the very things they intended to do.”
“As a result of this, we enjoin the police to keep the Accord Party’s handlers under surveillance, as the ripple effects of the onslaught by their political thugs against our members and supporters in Ile-Ife, Owode-Ede, and Osogbo are still fresh in the memory of discerning members of the society,” the statement added.
However, in a separate statement issued on Sunday, Olabisi appealed directly to the Osun State Police Command to declare Owode-Ede in Ede North Local Government Area a political flashpoint, alleging persistent attacks on APC members and supporters in the community.
Olabisi said: “Owode-Ede is a fast-growing settlement which serves as a major transit point for residents traveling from the Ife Federal Constituency and the Aiyedaade/Irewole/Isokan Federal Constituency to Osogbo, the state capital.”
“The town of Owode-Ede has become embarrassingly notorious for harbouring political hoodlums who are fond of forcefully removing branded fez caps which happen to differ from those of Governor Adeleke from innocent supporters of the APC.”
“There are also cases of these strategically positioned Accord Party thugs, standing by the road medians or sides, hitting and destroying APC-branded vehicles, constantly embarrassing victims of opposition APC extraction.”
“So many members and supporters of the APC have unfavorable tales of rough handling and attacks by these political hoodlums, who often migrate from Ede township daily to cause havoc for opposition members in Owode-Ede.”
“It will also be recalled that it was at this very spot in Owode-Ede that the wife of the immediate-past governor of the state, Alhaja Kafayat Oyetola, was needlessly attacked by these political hoodlums a few days before the 2022 governorship election.”
“Owode-Ede also has the notoriety of being one of the towns where voting during the 2022 governorship election dragged on until 11:00 pm, long after voting had concluded in other areas at 4:00 pm, which gave an undue political advantage to Governor Adeleke.”
“It was also the needless blockage of the right of way of APC members and supporters returning to Osogbo by Accord Party hoodlums at the Owode-Ede market junction that brewed the crisis last Tuesday, which later radiated to the state capital.”
“The police should not wait to address this glaring threat to public peace. The root of this conflict at the Owode-Ede Market must be professionally handled in the overall interest of protecting the state’s inhabitants and their property,” Olabisi stated.