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Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has condemned the reported arrest of the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Sunday Bisi, shortly after he voted in Saturday’s governorship election, demanding his immediate release.
In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke alleged that Bisi was arrested at his residence in Ilesa after returning from the polling unit and taken to an undisclosed location.
“Information reaching me indicates that Hon. Bisi was accosted in his home in Ilesa shortly after he returned after voting, and whisked him away to yet to be known location,” the statement read.
“Up till this moment, no one has been availed the reason for his arrest,” it added.
The governor described the alleged arrest as an abuse of law enforcement and an attempt to intimidate political supporters during the election.
Adeleke alleged that the arrest was part of a wider plan to prevent his supporters from monitoring the collation of results.
“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,” Rasheed said.
“This is the biggest assault on democracy,” Adeleke added, urging those involved in what he described as an attempt to overturn the electorate’s decision to desist.
The governor also accused the All Progressives Congress of working with what he described as “compromised security agents” to prevent his supporters from monitoring results at collation centres.
He did not provide evidence in the statement to substantiate the allegations.
“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 said.
He added: “Election should be about the people freely giving their mandates to the person of their choice without threat or force.”
The reported arrest comes as Osun residents vote in a closely watched governorship election involving incumbent Governor Adeleke of the Accord Party and APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, alongside candidates of other parties.
The election follows a major political realignment in the state.
Adeleke won the 2022 governorship election on the PDP platform, defeating the incumbent APC governor, Gboyega Oyetola, according to the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Oyetola rejected the result and challenged Adeleke’s victory in court.
The election petition tribunal later annulled Adeleke’s victory and declared Oyetola the winner, but the ruling was subsequently overturned on appeal, allowing Adeleke to remain governor.
The legal battle deepened the rivalry between the two political camps that had dominated Osun politics.
The 2026 contest, however, has taken a different shape after Adeleke left the PDP and joined Accord in December 2025.
He subsequently emerged as Accord’s governorship candidate.
The defection was followed by a major movement of PDP lawmakers into Accord.
In February 2026, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, and 24 other PDP lawmakers joined the party.
Six PDP members of the House of Representatives from Osun also subsequently defected to Accord.
Consequently, the PDP did not field a governorship candidate in the 2026 election, leaving Adeleke to seek a second term under Accord while the APC entered the contest with Oyebamiji.
The campaign period has been marked by allegations of political violence, intimidation and attacks between rival camps.
Adeleke and Accord supporters have repeatedly accused APC-linked actors of attacks, while opposition figures have also accused the governor’s camp of misconduct.
Accord alleged in May that its campaign office in Osogbo had been attacked, while the governor’s camp accused APC supporters of vandalising campaign billboards.
There have also been concerns about the neutrality of security agencies.
In July, Accord candidates accused the police of politically motivated arrests and called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure security agencies remained neutral during the election.
The tensions intensified in the final days before the poll, with the National Human Rights Commission calling for action over alleged inflammatory remarks attributed to APC senator Francis Fadahunsi, saying they could incite violence and voter intimidation.
GOVERNOR ADELEKE CONDEMNS ARREST OF OSUN PDP CHAIRMAN, SUNDAY BISI, CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OSOGBO– 15/08/2026
The Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke has frowned at sheer abuse of law enforcement to intimidate supporters, condemning the arrest of the…
— Gov Ademola Adeleke (@AAdeleke_01) August 15, 2026
