NEWS
Osun Governorship Poll: Police Arrest SSG, Five Others Over Alleged Possession of Voter Cards as State Government Cries Foul
Tension is mounting ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election following the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, and five other persons by the Osun State Police Command over allegations of possessing voter cards suspected to have been purchased for electoral purposes.
The arrests were made after police operatives raided the SSG’s residence located in the Oroki Estate area of Osogbo on Wednesday in an operation that has sparked political controversy across the state.
According to the Police Command, officers conducting the search recovered a register containing the details of registered voters, a discovery that has raised serious concerns about possible electoral offences ahead of the crucial governorship election.
The police also disclosed that several other items were recovered during the operation, including ₦4.8 million in cash, a Dynabook laptop, photocopying machines, a printer, and voter registers covering Wards One to Fifteen in Osogbo Local Government Area.
Among those arrested alongside the SSG were Abiodun Arowomole, popularly known as “Ashipa,” whom the police described as a wanted murder suspect already on the Command’s watch list. Others arrested include Taiwo Akande, Lukman Adeyemo, Muftau Olaoye, and Musiliu Aderemi.
The Police Command said investigations are ongoing into allegations bordering on vote buying, criminal conspiracy, and harbouring a wanted suspect. It stressed that the case carries significant implications for the administration of justice as well as the credibility and integrity of the democratic process in the state.
Reaffirming its commitment to professionalism, the Command maintained that it would enforce the law without fear or favour, affection or ill will. It also appealed to residents to remain calm, law-abiding, and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information capable of preventing crime and ensuring a peaceful, free, fair, and credible governorship election.
However, the Osun State Government has strongly condemned the police operation, describing the raid on the residence of the Secretary to the State Government as illegal.
In its reaction, the state government stated that ward officials were holding a meeting within the premises when the police stormed the residence, while the SSG himself was attending a stakeholders’ forum organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The government further alleged that the police had, a day earlier, carried out a similar operation at the residence of the Commissioner for Energy in Ikire, claiming that officers ransacked the property and destroyed several valuables.
Expressing concern over what it described as a pattern of intimidation, the Osun State Government called on traditional rulers, the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police, the National Security Adviser, and President Bola Tinubu to intervene, alleging that top government officials and members of the Accord Party in Osun State were being deliberately targeted ahead of the gov
ernorship election.