Adeleke and APC trade blame over alleged political attacks in Osun, as police confirm reports and tensions rise ahead of election
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State and the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have traded accusations over alleged political attacks and shootings in parts of the state amid rising tensions ahead of the governorship election.
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The Osun State Police Command confirmed that reports of shootings were received from Divisional Police Officers in Owode-Ede and Osogbo, noting that investigations are ongoing into the incidents.
Police spokespersons said the individuals behind the attacks had not yet been linked to any political party, adding that intelligence gathering was in progress to determine the circumstances surrounding the violence.
Governor Adeleke, while addressing journalists at the Government House in Osogbo, accused the APC of being responsible for recent incidents of political violence in the state.
He alleged that suspected thugs, early on Tuesday, fired gunshots in Ile-Ife, causing panic among residents, and also carried out attacks in Owode-Ede that reportedly left several people injured.
“These attacks are outrageous, unprovoked and deliberate,” Adeleke said, warning that the situation was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
The governor stated that he had consistently appealed for calm among supporters despite what he described as repeated provocations and attacks in recent months.
He also referenced previous incidents involving political figures, including the killing of a youth leader in Ikire and the shooting of the Osogbo chairman of the Accord Party.
“These attacks must stop. Our people should not be pushed to the wall,” he said.
Adeleke urged national security authorities, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police and the Department of State Services, to intensify intervention in Osun State.
He further stressed that elections should be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere, warning against what he described as deliberate attempts to destabilise the state.
Following the briefing, the governor visited the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, where victims of the reported shootings were receiving treatment.
In response, the APC, through its campaign council spokesperson Remi Omowaiye, rejected the allegations and accused supporters of the Accord Party of carrying out attacks on APC members.
The APC claimed that its campaign buses were vandalised in Owode-Ede and that several supporters were injured during the incident.
Omowaiye described the situation as alarming and said political violence had no place in a democratic society, urging authorities to take urgent action.
Also read: PRP Confident It Will Defeat APC in 2027 Elections
The police have assured residents that investigations are ongoing as tensions continue to rise ahead of the upcoming election.
