The Imole Campaign Council alleged that soldiers detained a Special Adviser to Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke and a prominent Accord Party campaigner on the eve of the governorship election, prompting a call for the Chief of Army Staff to intervene. The council's spokesman, Pelumi Olajengbesi, said in a statement that soldiers arrived in more than 15 trucks on Friday night, August 14, and raided homes of Accord Party leaders across Osun state, with the Osun East Senatorial District bearing the brunt of the operation.
Alleged detentions ahead of the poll
According to the council, Bankole Omisore, a Special Adviser to Governor Adeleke, was arrested during the raids and was still being held at a military cantonment in Ede as of Saturday morning, August 15. The council also said Adeyemi Idowu, described as a top Accord Party campaigner, remained in detention following the same operation.
The Imole Campaign Council further alleged that the soldiers were directed by one ASP Wemimo, a police officer it linked to Senator Francis Fadahunsi, and that Sanya Omirin, an APC chieftain representing the Atakunmosa East/Atakunmosa West/Ilesa East/Ilesa West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, was present during the operation.
Council urges army chief to act
Describing the alleged arrests as "shocking and undemocratic," the council called on the Nigerian Army to remain neutral throughout the electoral process. "The Imole Campaign Council has called on the Nigerian Army not to allow its noble self to become pawns in the hands of desperate power-seeking politicians," Olajengbesi said in the statement.
The council also addressed the Chief of Army Staff directly: "We call on the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Waidi Shaibu, to act in accordance with the extant laws of the land."
The allegations could not be independently verified at the time of this report. The development unfolded on the same day Osun residents go to the polls to elect the state's next governor. Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Ibrahim Adefila, the senatorial candidate of the Youth Party for Osun Central in the 2027 elections, had sent a key message to political stakeholders ahead of the 2026 Osun state governorship election. In a statement made exclusively available to Legit.ng, Adefila issued a direct appeal to voters, security forces, and rival campaigns to ensure the exercise passes without bloodshed. Adefila stated that his interest in this weekend's contest is purely civic, with no candidate on the ballot for his party, framing his intervention as the concern of an ordinary citizen rather than a partisan actor.
