Governor Adeleke Condemns Osun PDP Chairman's Arrest, Seeks Immediate Freedom

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has vehemently denounced the reported apprehension of the state's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Sunday Bisi, and is demanding his swift release. In a statement shared on his official X account on Saturday, Governor Adeleke alleged that Bisi was taken into custody at his residence in Ilesa, moments after casting his vote in the ongoing Osun governorship election. The statement was officially signed by the governor's spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.

The governor characterized the arrest as an affront to legal processes and a direct assault on the democratic framework. "Information reaching me indicates that Bisi was accosted in his home in Ilesa shortly after he returned after voting, and whisked away to a yet-to-be-known location," Adeleke stated. He further claimed, "Up till this moment, no one has been availed the reason for his arrest, which indicates that the APC is working in cohort with compromised security agents to keep people away from monitoring results at the various collation centres."

Adeleke went on to suggest that this arrest was part of a larger scheme to interfere with the tabulation of election results, although he did not present any substantiating evidence for this assertion. "This latest sweep on my supporters, I have authoritatively learnt, is part of a broader plan to give the APC unhindered access to change results at collation centres and upturn our wins at the poll," he added. The governor described the situation as "the biggest assault on democracy," urging all parties involved in this "desperate attempt to upturn the will of our people through the use of state institutions" to desist.

The Osun helmsman reiterated his call for Bisi's immediate freedom, labeling the arrest as politically motivated. He also pressed for the release of what he termed "other political prisoners" across the state. "In that regard, I am calling for the immediate release of Hon. Bisi because his arrest is nothing but political and other political prisoners across Osun state," Adeleke declared. He emphasized that "Election should be about the people freely giving their mandates to the person of their choice without threat or force."

At the time of issuing the statement, Governor Adeleke indicated that the whereabouts of the PDP chairman remained unknown and no official reason had been provided for his detention. However, PUNCH Online reported that as of press time, no security agency had come forward to claim responsibility for the alleged arrest.