From aides to concerned citizens to opposition party members and media practitioners, security agencies have repeatedly detained individuals over actions and statements considered politically sensitive, reflecting a tense political climate that continues to shape governance and public discourse in the state.

The most recent case involved the prolonged detention of an aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Abiodun Adegoke, following a petition linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

Adegoke was reportedly arrested over an accusation of defamation arising from a post he (Adegoke) made on social media where he reported a stampede at the Ikire residence of the APC candidate on the 27th day of December, 2025 during a food distribution exercise at Oyebamiji’s residence, which he claimed led to deaths.

Governor Adeleke accused the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gothan, of ordering the illegal detention of his aide and repeatedly denying him bail. He consequently urged the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene and compel the Osun State Police Command to respect Adegoke’s fundamental rights.

In a statement signed by the Governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Monday, January 12, 2026, Adeleke said Adegoke was detained for more than five days without being charged to court, describing the action as a violation of the Constitution.

However, the Osun State Police Command dismissed the allegation, insisting that Adegoke had been granted bail and that investigations into the petition against him had been concluded.

Earlier, the Concerned Citizens of Nigeria (CCN), a non-political civic organization, condemned the arrest of one of its members, Iyiola Monsuru, describing it as an attack on freedom of expression.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Abiodun Adegoke, the group said Monsuru was arrested after reporting an incident at the residence of the APC governorship candidate for the 2026 election, Bola Oyebamiji, in Ikire.

The arrest and detention of Iyiola Monsuru and the subsequent arrest and detention of Abiodun Adegoke were connected to claims of a stampede at the home of the APC governorship candidate.

Meanwhile, politics-related arrests and detentions in Osun did not just start in August 2025, as the Osun political space started experiencing similar happenings from the past. Recall that the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday, August 8, demanded probe of Kazeem Adefisoye, the Chief Security Officer of the State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and others following what it described as an illegal arrest and detention of one of its members in the state, Rasaq Gafar.

In the statement signed by the party’s spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, the APC alleged that the Chief Security Officer to the Governor, Kazeem Adefisoye, alongside the Officer in Charge of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit of the Oyo State Police Command, abused their offices in the arrest of Gafar.

The party claimed that on Monday, August 4, 2025, Adefisoye and about eight masked police officers drawn from the Osun State Government House stormed a bank on Ring Road, Ibadan, where Gafar works, physically manhandled him, and forcefully arrested him without prior invitation.

Rasaq Gafar was arrested and detained on the grounds of cyberbullying against the person of the Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke.

Similarly, Osun State also witnessed the arrest and arraignment of the Editor of Osun Spring newspaper, Adesola Isola, by the Nigeria Police Force in Osogbo.

Isola was arraigned before a Magistrate Court for allegedly publishing false and malicious information against the former Governor of the state and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, in the newspaper’s August 1–15, 2025 edition. The publication claimed that the Minister had entered into an agreement with the Nigeria Police Force and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to manipulate the forthcoming 2026 governorship election in Osun State.

At proceedings held on August 21, 2025, Isola pleaded not guilty before Magistrate A. O. Ayilara of Magistrate Court 1, Osogbo, and was granted bail in the sum of ₦500,000 with one surety in like sum.

Taken together, the pattern of arrests and detentions recorded in Osun State over the past year emphasizes the growing concerns about political sensitivity and the use of state institutions in resolving political disputes.

Read Also: Osun Records Low Turnout as Council Workers Resume After 11 months

Cyberbullying, fake news, and other related unlawful actions, being the commonest causes of the arrests, is also a growing concern in the State, ahead of the 2026 Governorship election.

As the 2026 election approaches, civil society groups, opposition parties, and observers continue to call for restraint, adherence to constitutional safeguards and respect for fundamental rights to ensure that political competition does not further erode democratic freedom in the state.

Concerned stakeholders have also continued to advocate against cyberbullying, fake news, and irresponsible use of social media, social ills that continue to put question marks on absolute freedom of expression.

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In an update on its X handle, the commission provided details of the schedule, locations, and eligibility of voters.

As a result, Rédíò Afínjú visited the Commission’s offices in Olorunda Local Government and Osogbo Local Government to observe how the exercise is conducted.

Speaking with our correspondent at Osogbo Local Government, the duo of Okoro Thomas and Azeez Kabir, who are registrants, expressed their dissatisfaction with the conduct of the exercise, highlighting that the operation has been hampered by network glitches, which have caused the registration process to proceed at a very slow pace.

Abdullateef Yusuf and Oyelami Yemi noted that INEC was poorly prepared for the exercise, and this was evident from the sluggishness of its staff despite asking the citizens to arrive early.

In a chat with one of the INEC officials who craved anonymity, he maintained that special attention is given to the aged and disabled in the premises of the commission, adding that some officials are being deployed at the entrance to attend to those in the queue.

In the same vein, a crowd of eligible registrants was seen at the INEC office in Olorunda Local Government.

Adegoke Rotimi, who spoke with our correspondent, also noted that the network outage is disrupting the registration process, thereby delaying the citizens at the entrance of the office.

He also mentioned that registrants are answered on a first-come, first-served basis, as names are recorded in attendance.

Meanwhile, INEC announced that the in-person registration will run Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and urged eligible Nigerians to complete their registration at INEC state or local government offices in their area.

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The party made this known in a statement signed by its chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, as a response to a communiqué released after a meeting by the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Leadership Caucus.

Recall that Redio Afinju had earlier reported that the Osun PDP Leadership Caucus has reaffirmed their support for Governor Adeleke as their flagbearer in the forthcoming election, despite his rumored defection to the APC.

Read Also: Osun PDP stakeholders reaffirm support for Adeleke

The APC Chairman, however, hinted that the fear of losing the 2026 governorship election drove Governor Adeleke to desperately want to join the progressive fold, adding that Osun PDP has become a “leprous house” deserted by “decent politicians” with the intention to serve the people.

“We state first of all that the highly informed Osun State public, who are aware that it was the fear of the impending 2026 election defeat that motivated the governor to desperately seek in our party an asylum for his political survival in 2026, are excited about the measured treatment meted to the Osun State governor and his desperate party men,” he stated.

While affirming that a political party is open to all interested parties, the Osun APC chairman noted that Governor Adeleke’s entry is suspected and intended to tarnish the party’s image and create a public perception crisis.

He said, “A political party is a free-exit-free-entry arrangement; therefore, everyone is welcome. However, in a situation where an entry is suspected to tarnish the image of the party and create a public perception crisis for it, the party is at will to foreclose such a destructive entry as it was the case in the instance of Adeleke’s attempt to smuggle himself into our party.”

Lawal added that Governor Adeleke was running from the wrath of the state’s electorate after mismanaging almost N1 trillion in 30 months and was looking for cover in the APC.

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Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state have reaffirmed their support for the incumbent Governor of the State, Ademola Adeleke, as the gubernatorial flagbearer of the Party in the forthcoming 2026 election in the State.

This was announced in a communique released after the party’s leadership caucus meeting, held at the Government House in Osogbo.

The stakeholders called on all members of the PDP to remain in the party while enjoining Governor Adeleke to forge ahead in the implementation of his administration’s agenda, adding that they are solidly behind him.

They noted that majority of the PDP members are not happy about the rumored defection but only reluctantly agreed to follow Governor Adeleke as a show of loyalty to his leadership. They also decried the hostility of APC stakeholders in Osun towards the rumored defection of the Governor.

The PDP leadership caucus also “adopted and endorsed” President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid, noting that he is a son of Osun State.

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The Society, speaking through its Executive Director, Wasiu Oyedokun-Allí, mentioned in this month’s edition of the State of the State address that public office holders are drifting away from their primary assignments, with more attention being paid to the 2026 election in the State.

“While 2026 is indeed the Governorship election year, governance must progress smoothly until the last day of this administration, whether it wins a second term or not. It is unacceptable to sacrifice governance on the altar of political expediency and we call on all government actors to prioritize the public service for which they are paid salaries and other emoluments,” he said.

TOM also decried the alleged disregard of the Court of Appeal ruling and the opinion of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, by the State Government with regard to local government administration.

The Society also called on the State Government to resolve the power struggle at local governments throughout the state, noting that this crisis is impeding local government progress.

Oyedokun- Alli said: “We call on all men and women of good conscience to prevail on the Osun State Government to end this needless crisis that it has plunged the State into and allow the rule of law prevail. We are all people of Osun State, whether of the APC or PDP, and we must co-habit in peace.”

The group further charged the State Government to expedite action towards resuscitating the Technical Colleges across the state, adding that this will fill in the huge skill acquisition gap in the State.

Speaking on national security, TOM urged President Bola Tinubu to restructure security by kicking out incompetent personnel and providing incentives for hardworking ones.

Oyedokun-Alli noted that securing the lives and properties of the citizens should be important than anything in the election.

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This was announced by INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, while delivering his address at the swearing-in ceremony of the six newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), whose nominations were recently approved by the National Assembly.

Yakubu also maintained that the Commission is finalizing preparations for bye-elections to fill vacant seats in both the National and State Houses of Assembly.

Source: The Nation

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The Stakeholders, drawn from across the 30 Local Governments of Osun States, included former and serving State and Local Officers of the APC, former Local Government Chairmen, former political office holders, among others.

The APC stakeholders paid a courtesy visit to the State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the Chairmanship of Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, at the APC Secretariat in Osogbo, on Monday 19th May, 2025.

While addressing members of the State Executive Committee, the spokesperson of the delegation, Hon. Adeniran Ibitoye (KLM), stated that they had carefully perused the credentials and acceptability of the persons who have shown interest in picking the ticket of the APC for the upcoming Governorship election, and found Babayemi to have the best combination of competence and acceptability.

He said, “eminently qualified members of our great party have shown interest in the party’s ticket and we are proud of the quality of human resource that Osun APC possesses. However, we have realized through consultations with party members at the grassroots, that Omo-Oba Babayemi has the best blend of competence and acceptability across the State.”

“We believe that our party must put its best foot forward in the 2026 election so that we can get a smooth sail. We are therefore presenting Dotun Babayemi to you, our leaders, for your blessings, as we commence statewide consultation.”

While responding, the State Chairman of the Party, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal welcomed the delegation, expressing his joy at the calibre of aspirants vying for the APC ticket, while warning against all utterances that may malign other aspirants.

In his remarks, Dotun Babayemi informed the gathering that he is proud of the quality of aspirants that the APC is parading, and though he believes he is the best option, he is committed to supporting anyone the party eventually chooses to fly its flag.

Babayemi, a Prince of Gbongan in Osun State, joins a list of Osun APC stalwarts who have declared intention to pick the party’s Governorship ticket, including the National Secretary of the Party, Sen. Ajibola Basiru, and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Alh. Bola Oyebamiji.

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While speaking on Rédíò Afínjú current affairs programme ‘Gbagede Ọrọ,’ one of the loyalists, Ayotunde Jimoh, noted that Osun State, as a developing state, should be governed by a competent individual, adding that Ajibola Bashiru is fit to be in the race to be at the helm of affairs of the State.

He further decried the rumored ‘endorsement’ of the Managing Director of the National Inland Water Authority, Bola Oyebamiji, by the Minister of Blue and Marine Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, stressing that politics is a race and should not be based on prejudice and compensation.

Jimoh maintained that every political party works with the calculation of where they have their stronghold, with less emphasis on zoning as against the claims that APC should present governorship candidates from the western part of the state.

He hinted that the race to become the party’s flagbearer is still open and believes the best candidate will eventually emerge.

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