Osun State Governor and Accord Party governorship candidate, Ademola Adeleke, has called for the removal of Samuel Erale Etaifo, the Commissioner of Police deployed to oversee the 2026 governorship election in the state.
Adeleke made the demand on Saturday shortly after casting his vote at Ward 9, Sagba Abogunde Polling Unit in Ede, where he also raised concerns over alleged attempts to disrupt the electoral process.
The governor alleged that a police officer identified as “London” from Port Harcourt had been brought into Osun to interfere with the election.
He consequently appealed to the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to closely monitor the officer and ensure that the election was conducted according to established procedures.
“It’s going well and I hope it continues like that but I got some information from my people in Osun State. There is one Police officer called London from Port Harcourt, they brought him to come and disorganise the vote,” Adeleke said.
He added:
“So I am calling on the Inspector General of Police and all the security agents to watch out and be on the lookout.”
Adeleke further alleged that the officer was brought into the state by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as part of an alleged plan to interfere with voting, particularly in Ede, his hometown.
The governor also alleged that his supporters had been intimidated in Modakeke and expressed concern about the movement of the electoral process from polling units to the collation centres.
“The APC in Osun brought him to come and destroy my town. The Police Commissioner election, the DIG election, should take note and all my people in Ede should watch out,” he stated.
According to Adeleke, information available to him suggested that there were plans to bypass the prescribed collation process.
“I have it on authority of information that they don’t want to go through the normal process of from units to wards and to local government, they just want to take it all the way to the collation centre and that is not acceptable,” he alleged.
The governor urged security personnel to ensure that all electoral procedures were followed, while expressing confidence in his chances of winning the election.
“They must follow the rules and that’s why I am alerting my people to watch out and I know by the special grace of God that I am winning this election,” Adeleke said.
Adeleke Commends INEC
Despite his concerns, the governor commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the early commencement of accreditation at his polling unit.
He urged the commission to maintain its neutrality and ensure that the election was conducted in a free and fair manner.
Adeleke arrived at his polling unit at about 8:30 a.m. and joined other voters for accreditation before casting his ballot. He was reportedly the first voter to cast his ballot at the polling unit.
Police Clarifies CP Deployment
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has clarified the status of the police commissioners overseeing security operations in Osun during the election.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said Ibrahim Gotan remains the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, contrary to reports suggesting that he had been removed from the command.
According to the police, Samuel Erale Etaifo was specifically deployed to Osun as Commissioner of Police to oversee security arrangements for the August 15 governorship election.
The Force explained that Gotan would continue to supervise routine policing activities in the state, while providing administrative and operational support to Etaifo during the election.
The clarification followed reports that Gotan had been redeployed to the Force Headquarters in Abuja on special duty.
The development comes amid heightened political tension in Osun, with candidates and political parties calling on security agencies to ensure that voters are allowed to cast their ballots without intimidation or interference.
