Osun 2026: Accord seeks AU, UN, EU intervention

The ruling party in Osun State, Accord, has called on the African Union, United Nations, European Union, United States and British governments to intervene in the security situation in the state ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The party alleged a pattern of political violence, arrests and intimidation capable of undermining the poll.

The party said the international community should monitor developments in the state and put pressure on Nigerian authorities to protect political actors, ensure equal treatment of parties and prevent violence from compromising the electoral process.

The call was made by Secretary of the South-West Forum of the Accord and Lagos State Chairman, Dele Oladeji, in a statement made available to The PidomNigeria on Sunday.

Oladeji alleged that politically motivated attacks had increased since campaigns for the governorship election began, claiming that Accord members and leaders, officials of the Osun State Government and relatives of the governor had been targeted.

He said the alleged attacks had resulted in deaths and injuries, including the killing of a 14-year-old boy, and accused security agencies of failing to bring those responsible to justice.

“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.

“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 leader said the absence of arrests and prosecutions in connection with the alleged attacks had deepened fears about the ability and willingness of security agencies to protect political actors ahead of the election.

He accused the Federal Government and security agencies of failing to adequately respond to the situation, while alleging that some suspects named in connection with the attacks remained visible in public and were being protected by armed police officers.

Oladeji described the development as evidence of what he alleged was “state-aided violence, murder and intimidation,” but did not provide details of specific cases or evidence to substantiate the allegation in the statement.

He also raised concerns over the arrest of the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, on July 29, describing the development as politically motivated.

Igbalaye was arrested at his residence over an allegation of vote-buying and was subsequently released.

Oladeji questioned the basis for the allegation and said the arrest formed part of what he described as a broader pattern of the use of security agencies against political actors in the state.

“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.

The party further alleged that 61 of its members remained in police custody after being arrested in Osun and transferred to the Federal Capital Territory.

Oladeji claimed that those detained had not been shown warrants of arrest, formally charged or brought before a court.

“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 said.

The allegations could not be independently verified from the statement.

Oladeji also accused the police hierarchy of political bias, alleging that the Nigeria Police Force was being deployed to influence the electoral contest in favour of the All Progressives Congress.

He specifically cited the professional relationship between the Inspector-General of Police and President Bola Tinubu as part of what he claimed was evidence of institutional bias.

“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,” he alleged.

He warned that the alleged militarisation of the political process could undermine democratic participation and said Nigeria should draw lessons from the violence and political instability that contributed to the collapse of its First and Second Republics.

The Accord leader, therefore, urged the AU, UN, EU, US government, USAID and UKAID to intervene before the election, saying international scrutiny was necessary to protect voters and political parties and preserve the credibility of the electoral process.

“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 to remain politically neutral and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct the election impartially.

“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.