The Imole Campaign Council has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to immediately redeploy Ibrahim Gotan, the Commissioner of Police in charge of security for the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
The council alleged that Gotan has acted in a partisan manner ahead of the election and accused him of favouring the All Progressives Congress (APC) while targeting supporters of the Accord Party.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Bamidele Sallam, chairman of the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee of the campaign council, alleged that the police commissioner had aided attacks allegedly carried out by suspected APC-linked thugs against Accord supporters.
The council further claimed that Gotan held a late-night meeting with some APC leaders on Thursday, raising concerns about his neutrality as the police officer responsible for election security.
According to the campaign council, the commissioner is also allegedly “openly defying” the IGP’s directive that all officers deployed for election duties must remain politically neutral.
The council accused Gotan of establishing what it described as a “parallel police structure” allegedly being used to intimidate Accord leaders and supporters since his deployment to the state.
It further alleged that while efforts were being made to ensure a peaceful election, the commissioner had deployed special police squads to arrest members and supporters of the Accord Party.
The campaign council called on the IGP to immediately remove Gotan from Osun State, arguing that his redeployment would help create an environment for a free and fair election.
“We call on the Inspector General of Police to immediately transfer Mr Gotan out of Osun State to allow the presidential directive for a free and fair election to materialise,” the statement said.
The council also demanded the immediate release of what it claimed were more than 60 Accord leaders and members being held illegally, including Hon. Alaba, its candidate for the Ijesa South Federal Constituency.
It further called for the disbandment of what it described as a “secret police squad” allegedly being used to support attacks against Accord members.
The allegations by the campaign council have not been independently verified, and there was no response from the police commissioner contained in the statement.
The controversy comes as security agencies face increasing pressure to guarantee a peaceful, credible and transparent governorship election in Osun State.
The election is scheduled for August 15, with political parties and stakeholders calling for security agencies to maintain strict neutrality throughout the electoral process.
