Gunmen have attacked the convoy of Sekinat Oyebamiji, wife of the Osun State All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Asiwaju Oyebamiji in Ede South Local Government Area of the state.

The attack was said to have occurred on Sunday evening shortly after Mrs Oyebamiji concluded a political engagement in Alajue Ward 2, where she had met with residents and party supporters ahead of the August 15 governorship election in the state.

She was reportedly accompanied by Princess Bukola Adereti, wife of the APC deputy governorship candidate, Alhaji Kayode Adereti, during the visit.

The assailants, numbering about 15,  were said to have carried out the attack at about 7 p.m. while Mrs Oyebamiji was leaving the venue of the programme.

Although Mrs Oyebamiji and Princess Adereti escaped without injury, one of the persons in the convoy reportedly sustained serious injuries.

The victim, identified as the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Sekona Branch, was said to have suffered severe head injuries during the incident and was later taken for medical treatment.

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Adewole Adebayo, has disclosed that the contest of the 2023 election was between opposition parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

According to Adebayo, who spoke while featuring on Politics Today on Channels TV, the 2023 election was a charade, alleging that the election results were fake.

The SDP presidential candidate emphasised that if the 2027 polls will be about candidate versus candidate, it will be an indication that the system is ready.

He said, “In 2023, I contested against INEC. INEC were the opponents. What happened in 2023 was not good at all. All those numbers are fake. The whole thing was a charade. Anyone who is making analysis based on the 2023 election is legitimising fraud.

“Nobody should use the number and go to the Villa and govern anybody because you can’t govern out of fraud or out of manipulation. So, we cannot normalise the number.

“The difference I will want now, hopefully I pray every day for Prof. Amupitan, his fellow commissioners and their other staff, is that this time around, no candidate should see INEC as an enemy. And I also pray for IGP Disu and the reason of police officers that no candidate should see the police as an enemy.

“There is no candidate who should be unfortunate enough to be running against INEC like we were running against INEC in 2023, and that is what we need to change. To run for election is like writing an examination; your score should reflect your effort.

“My point of view is not that the opposition should come together only but that all Nigerians should come together. Even some people who might be members of APC know that APC itself has been irrelevant and they are facing a system of one-man rule.” 

Osun State chapter of the Accord Party has accused the State Police Command of selective policing and targeting its members ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The party’s position follows the police dismissal of allegations by the Imole Campaign Council that it had compiled a list of political figures for arrest before the governorship poll. 

In a statement signed by the Osun Accord Chairman, Pastor Victor Akande, the party rejected the police’s explanation for recent raids and arrests, alleging that security operations were being used to intimidate its leaders and members rather than tackle criminal activities.

According to the Accord, “the police had departed from their constitutional responsibility by allegedly focusing on members of the party while failing to act against individuals it claimed were linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

The party alleged that individuals such as Kazeem Oyewale, popularly known as Asiri Eniba, and others allegedly connected to the APC had not been subjected to similar security operations despite facing criminal allegations. It further claimed that selective policing was undermining public confidence in the security agencies.

Referring to an incident in Ikire, Accord alleged that one of its members, Taofeeq Akinyemi, who was recently arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, had earlier been shot by an individual identified as Akinkunmi Alabi, also known as Ojuyobo. 

The party claimed Akinyemi survived after receiving medical treatment and questioned why the alleged attacker had not been arrested.

Akande said, “As a political party, we very much support any effort that will put criminals away so as to guarantee a peaceful and free poll, but we will not accept the subtle attempt by the Police to brand the membership of Accord as being criminal.”

The Accord chairman urged the police to review their operations, release what the party described as political detainees, including Akinyemi, and ensure that policing remained impartial throughout the election period.

The Osun State Police Command has also maintained that their operations are strictly aimed at combating crime across the state.

The command denied the existence of any such list and insisted that its operations were not politically motivated.

Responding to the allegations, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, reiterated that the command had not drawn up any list of politicians for arrest and was not targeting any political party.

Ojelabi said, “We are raiding black spots and criminal hideouts every day to sanitise the environment for the forthcoming election, and this raid is not targeted at any individual, group of persons or political party. It is targeted at criminal hideouts. We don’t have any list anywhere; the police do not formulate any list.”

He added that the command would continue intelligence-led operations against criminal elements across the state and advised parents to discourage their children from late-night movements and association with individuals with criminal records. 

Ojelabi also noted that the proposed joint security task force announced by the state government had yet to commence operations.