Politics
Rep Member Drags Police Over Osun Pre Election Killings
A member of the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salaam, has said the police in Osun State were the “most disappointing” institution in the events leading to the 2026 governorship election.
National Assembly
In an interview with AIT, Salaam criticised the state of Nigeria’s electoral institutions, saying their failure to earn public trust remains a major challenge to credible elections. He specifically faulted the police and other security agencies for their handling of events before the Osun poll.
“The problem we have with our electoral system is that we have institutions that are extremely weak. Institutions that have not been able to earn the trust and the confidence of the people. And these are institutions that are critical to delivering on free, fair, credible, and peaceful election. The Nigerian police, the INEC, and other security agencies, and the police in particular in Osun has been the most disappointing of the institutions.
He said the situation was particularly concerning because of the incidents recorded before the election, including killings and the destruction of campaign billboards. According to him, the police could have prevented some of the incidents if they had acted within their constitutional powers.
“I say this without any apology. The most disappointing institutions in the event preceding the election. All these killings, wanton destruction of billboards and what have you that you had, would not have, you know, continued if the police in Osun under the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olokode, had acted decisively and in accordance with the powers donated to the police by the Nigerian Constitution, especially going by the vicious campaign that the APC ran against us in Osun. Very vicious, very deadly, very bitter, you know, contentions that they did to hijack power in Osun.”
On Governor Ademola Adeleke’s political position, Salaam said the governor remained committed to his earlier promise to support President Bola Tinubu, stressing that the decision should not be interpreted as a betrayal of his party.
“But the Governor is a man of his word. He doesn’t want to go back on the commitments he gave since he was even in the PDP, and he still continues to say, ‘Well, I will support the President because…’ You know, one, I want us to deepen the respect for the North-South, you know, power.”
Salaam added that Adeleke’s support for the President was also linked to ongoing projects and reforms in Osun State, which he said the governor wanted to complete.
“Number two, he has projects that he’s also executing in our state that we want to support him to be able to complete. He has reforms that he’s initiated that we want him to be able to complete and so on and so forth.”
He maintained that Adeleke had no plan to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the governor would remain in Accord and work to strengthen the party ahead of future elections.
“So, it’s not a matter of betrayal. Accord has no presidential candidate, and the Governor is not planning to leave Accord. He’s not going to the APC. He’s staying in his party to build this party into a platform that can win elections in so many other parts of the country in the years ahead.”
The Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has displayed two petitions filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The petitions were pasted on the notice board of the tribunal secretariat in Osogbo on Monday, formally setting the legal process in motion over the August 15 governorship election.
The development followed confirmation by the Secretary of the Tribunal, Pefe Belemore, that petitions challenging the outcome of the election had been filed.
Belemore had earlier announced that the necessary notices would be displayed on the tribunal’s notice board before noon on Monday.
At the opening of the tribunal earlier in the day, Belemore was in the courtroom alongside other officials of the secretariat as preparations were made for the commencement of proceedings.
The APC and PDP are challenging the outcome of the election, which returned Adeleke for another term in office.
The display of the petitions is expected to pave the way for the service of processes on the parties and subsequent proceedings before the tribunal.
The APC’s petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, against Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The PDP’s petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, was filed by Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola against Adeleke, INEC and the Accord Party.
The Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has displayed two petitions filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The petitions were pasted on the notice board of the tribunal secretariat in Osogbo on Monday, formally setting the legal process in motion over the August 15 governorship election.
The development followed confirmation by the Secretary of the Tribunal, Pefe Belemore, that petitions challenging the outcome of the election had been filed.
Belemore had earlier announced that the necessary notices would be displayed on the tribunal’s notice board before noon on Monday.
At the opening of the tribunal earlier in the day, Belemore was in the courtroom alongside other officials of the secretariat as preparations were made for the commencement of proceedings.
The APC and PDP are challenging the outcome of the election, which returned Adeleke for another term in office.
The display of the petitions is expected to pave the way for the service of processes on the parties and subsequent proceedings before the tribunal.
The APC’s petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, against Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The PDP’s petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, was filed by Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola against Adeleke, INEC and the Accord Party.
Former Governor and senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, said the true measure of Nigeria’s economic progress should be the lived experiences of citizens rather than growth in Gross Domestic Product, GDP, alone, saying that Nigeria cannot have a strong economy without security.
Daniel mentioned this yesterday at the 7th Annual Lecture of Freedom Online in Lagos, as he argued that economic growth and security are inseparable.
His comments came days after the NBS reported that Nigeria’s GDP grew by 4.43 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, up from 4.23 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
According to the senator, although the latest GDP figures and improvements in agriculture and services are encouraging, they did not fully reflect the economic realities confronting Nigerians.
“Nigeria cannot have a strong economy without security, and it cannot have lasting security without a strong economy, which effectively means that both of them are inseparable,” he said.
Daniel said the real test of economic progress is whether Nigerians could secure decent jobs, access their farms safely, operate businesses profitably and attract investment.
He asked: “In our country today, can a young person find decent work? Can a farmer safely reach the farm? Can a manufacturer produce competitively?
“Can a small business survive the cost of power and transport? Can investors commit their resources with confidence?”
The former Ogun State governor described security as an essential component of economic infrastructure, rather than an issue exclusively for the military, police and other security agencies.
He said insecurity has direct economic consequences, noting that farmers who could not safely access their land will be unable to produce enough food, while insecurity along major roads will increase the cost of transporting goods.
Daniel further argued that excessive expenditure on security measures could undermine business competitiveness, while insecurity in communities could discourage both domestic and foreign investment.
He called for an approach that treats security and economic development as mutually reinforcing priorities.
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