By Tunde Olamilekan
The Osun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cried out over the “frequent arrest and detention of PDP members” under suspicious circumstances.
The party alleged that some people within the state Police Force were colluding with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to carry out the arrest and detention of its members.
The state chairman of the PDP, Mr Sunday Bisi, in a statement on Tuesday in Osogbo, Osun capital, urged the Nigerian Police Force to maintain neutrality and avoid partisanship as the preparation for the 2026 election kicks off in the state.
According to the statement, while petitions by the APC were allegedly treated by the Police with urgency, a similar style was not accorded to complaints from PDP members.
Bisi noted that the “Police appear to be shielding the APC petitioners by immediately standing in their place rather than the APC as the petitioner.”
The PDP chairman alleged the police of bias, adding that rather than calling the two complainants together, the Police mostly designated themselves as the complainant against the detained PDP members’ and proceeded to initiate court action.
“Beyond the above, it was also discovered that such operations are often initiated from Force Headquarters, Abuja, with attempts at times to move such arrested PDP operatives to the federal capital,” Bisi added.
The statement added that in the last two weeks, more than four such incidents have been recorded, calling on the Police authorities to nip this disturbing trend in the bud.
“We have full confidence in the neutrality and professionalism of the Inspector-General of Police and the State Commissioner of Police. What we itemized above may be mere isolated cases or actions of some junior officers.
“Whatever may be responsible, we task the Police authorities to put a stop to it. APC petitioners should no longer be shielded. The Police should be a neutral arbiter. The Police should not be the complainant in matters involving two political parties.
“Attempts to justify the trend on the ground that Police were involved in the issue fall flat because the same defence could have been provided by the PDP. When APC leaders or members petition the Police against PDP members, the service should conduct neutral investigations instead of protecting the APC petitioners and assuming the position of the petitioners.
“Our appeal is borne out of the need to sustain the positive working relationship between the Police and the PDP. It is too early for Osun to be involved in controversy over rights issues and electoral activities. We believe the Police will correct the negative trend in the interest of fairness, equity, and peace”, the PDP chairman added.
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