By SCM Reporter I Wednesday, August 12, 2026
OSOGBO — Ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State, the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by security agencies to arrest its National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
The party warned the Federal Government and security forces against engaging in political intimidation, cautioning that any attempt to detain its top leadership on the eve of the poll could plunge the state into unnecessary crisis.
In a press statement signed by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party claimed it had gathered credible intelligence indicating a targeted clampdown on Aregbesola aimed at disrupting the party’s final electoral preparations.
Highlighting what it described as a growing trend of state-sponsored harassment against opposition parties, the ADC insisted that any attempt to arrest Aregbesola at this crucial juncture would be viewed as a calculated effort to neutralize the party’s leadership on election day.
”Ogbeni Aregbesola is a former Governor of Osun State, a former Minister of the Federal Republic, and the National Secretary of the opposition political party,” the statement read. “If any security agency has a lawful reason to invite him, there are established procedures for doing so”.
”An arrest on the eve of an election in which his party is participating would invite only one reasonable conclusion: that the purpose is to prevent him from leading and coordinating the party’s election activities”.
The party urged the Federal Government to respect democratic norms, noting that the international community and the Nigerian public are closely monitoring the political climate in Osun State.
”We therefore put the Federal Government and the security agencies on notice,” Abdullahi added. “The eyes of Nigerians are on Osun. Whatever happens before, during, and after Saturday’s election will be judged not by the explanations offered afterwards, but by the actions taken now”.
The political atmosphere in Osun State has reached a fever pitch as major political parties make their final push ahead of the governorship contest.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who served two terms as Governor of Osun State between 2010 and 2018 and subsequently as Minister of Interior from 2019 to 2023 under the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, remains a pivotal political figure in the state.
Following persistent internal rifts within the Osun APC—stemming from factional battles between his loyalists and rival party factions—Aregbesola shifted his political structure into the African Democratic Congress (ADC), assuming the role of Interim National Secretary.
His high-profile mobilization for the ADC candidate in key strongholds across Osun has reshaped the state’s political calculus, turning the contest into a tight multi-party race.
As tensions mount ahead of Saturday’s vote, opposition figures have repeatedly voiced concerns regarding security deployments and potential crackdowns.
Civil society organizations and electoral monitors have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to guarantee a level playing field for all participating political parties.
