The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership in Osun State has condemned the police’s mass arrest of its leaders, alleging that the move is intended to manipulate the State Assembly elections scheduled for next Saturday. Acting state chairman Dr. Akindele Adekunle issued a statement in Osogbo on Sunday, warning that PDP members would occupy police offices across the state in a peaceful protest unless Inspector General of Police Mr. Usman Baba Alkali halts the arrests. The party emphasized that the IGP is duty‑bound to enforce the law impartially and should not take directives from All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains regarding who to arrest or detain.
The statement read, in part: “Our leaders are being arrested in a bid to rig Saturday’s election. We will resist any ploy to manipulate the polls. Osun people voted overwhelmingly for the PDP in the last polls and are ready to freely exercise their voting rights again. Arresting our leaders on kangaroo charges is an attack on democracy and our fundamental human rights. We call on the Inspector General of Police to stop serving the evil interests of the APC. The police boss has a sacred duty to be an impartial enforcer of the law, not an agent of one political party against another. It is unacceptable for the IGP to take directives on who to arrest or detain from APC chieftains. This is a democracy, not a military dictatorship. We will not resort to self‑help. We are law‑abiding citizens and a ruling party in Osun State. But if this harassment of our members continues, we will mobilize and storm all police posts in Osun State in a peaceful protest. Let the IGP arrest all Osun PDP members.”
APC spokesperson Mr. Kola Olabisi was contacted for comment and promised to respond, but had not done so at the time of this report. In contrast, Osun Police Command spokesperson Yemisi Opalola dismissed the claim of indiscriminate arrests, insisting that the police are targeting criminals, not any particular political group. Opalola urged cooperation from all stakeholders to ensure effective policing and said, “We are police, not politicians. We are after criminals, and if we arrest anyone, it is because they have broken the law. We have no affiliation with any political party. Criminals may belong to one group or another; we do not know and we are not concerned with that. Our concern is the security of lives and property. We are law enforcers and will arrest anyone who disturbs public peace. There is no need to give a crime colouration.”
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