The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission and its chairman, Hashim Abioye have dragged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun for the breach of fundamental rights and unjustifiable arrests of the commission’s ad-hoc staff during the just concluded local government election in the state.
The plaintiffs demanded the sum of N2billion as damages against the police bosses for allegedly harassing, intimidating and detaining some ad-hoc staff of the commission for “committing no offence.”
In a suit filed at the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, brought in a representative capacity for themselves and on behalf all the members and the entire staff, including ad-hoc staff of the commission, the claimants accused Egbetokun and Abba of breach and continuing breach of their fundamental rights, illegal arrest and detention, unlawful sealing of the commission premises, threat of further arrest and detention, illegal seizure of commission’s properties which included ballot boxes, papers among other sensitive materials.
The claimants sought court’s declaration that going by the provisions of Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the defendants were not justified by their act of invading/sealing off the plaintiffs’ office premises and threat to arrest the plaintiffs and their staff in flagrant disregard for the right to private life, right to liberty particularly in relation to the peaceful, free and fair election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025.
The commission and its chairman, through their counsel, Maruf Adeniran, urged the court for “AN ORDER directing the defendants to immediately vacate and unseal the plaintiffs’ office premises and immediate release of the plaintiffs’ staff arrested by the defendants in relation to the peaceful, free and fair election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025
“AN ORDER restraining all the defendants from arresting, detaining and/or taking any step or further step or doing anything capable of hampering the fundamental rights of the plaintiffs to liberty, private life and property as enshrined under the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights particularly in relation to the free and fair election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025.
“AN ORDER directing all the defendants jointly and severally to pay to the plaintiffs a sum of N2 Billion as damages, for instigating the breach and actual breach of the fundamental rights of the plaintiffs and her staff to liberty, dignity and private life.”
OSSIEC chairman had raised the alarm last weekend that the commission’s headquarters had been sealed off by the police since Friday, February 21.
The office was sealed off a day before the Saturday, February 22, 2025, local government election in the state, a situation the OSSIEC chairman attributed to the delay in election materials getting to some polling units.
In the same vein, the Chairman of Osun State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Sunday Bisi has instituted a suit at the Federal High Court, Osogbo to enforce his fundamental rights and restrain the Inspector General of Police and his agents from carrying out his planned arrest.
Hon. Sunday Bisi describes the planned arrest as a flagrant and brazen attempt to encroach upon his fundamental rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement and as an abuse of the coercive powers which the Nation entrusts with the IGP.
According to the suit, the plan by the IGP to arrest the Osun PDP boss is designed to molest and punish him for opposing the IGP’s unethical partisan engagements against the Peoples Democratic Party in the ongoing political tussle in the State and for encouraging his party and members to participate in the just concluded LG election in Osun State, contrary to the purported security advice given by the IGP to stop the eventually peaceful election.
However, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has directed the newly elected local government chairmen across state to stay away from the council Secretariats to avoid any clash with those whom the police had aided to forcefully occupy the local government secretariats, while sworn-in newly elected 30 local government chairmen on Sunday.
Governor Adeleke said, “We are equally aware of the legal controversies that dogged the holding of the election. It is however a thing of joy that the facts are out in the public domain and we are satisfied that we are on the side of the law within the context of rule of law and the constitution.”
Meanwhile, the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had earlier announced its withdrawal from just concluded the Local Government election, following the Appeal Court judgement regarding the sacked chairmen and councilors.
The reinstated local government officials in Osun, the council chairmen and councillors have ordered immediate freezing of various council accounts as they formally resumed duty.
Hon. Idowu said, “All our Chairmen will work assiduously to create value chains in the agricultural sector so that food security will be ensured in our state. We will devote attention to mechanised farming so farmers across the state will have a new lease of life.
“We are aware of the shortage of teachers in our schools and health professionals in all our health centres and facilities. We declare to fill this shortage in no distant time.”
