Alowonle: Osun APC Alleges Plot By Adeleke, PDP To Use Criminals For 2026 Elections
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the Osun State Police Command for its recent crackdown on criminal elements in the state.
This comes on the heels of the arrest of Wakeel Nurudeen Alowonle, the Chairman of Osun State Transport Management System (OSTMS), and a close ally of Governor Ademola Adeleke, alongside other suspects linked to robbery, kidnapping, and serial murders
His arrest is also linked to the alleged killing of one Oyewale in 2022 and the assault of several residents in the state.
According to a reliable security source, he was apprehended at the Ring Road area of Osogbo while allegedly attempting to attack a resident who had filed a petition against him.
Reports indicate that Alowonle and his associates arrived at the scene in a Previa bus with registration number RBC 275XK.
However, a distress call alerted the police, leading to his arrest.
It was learnt Alowonle attempted to escape and was shot. However, the transport workers claimed that Alowonle was shot in the Police custody.
Reacting to the development, the APC, in a strongly worded statement on Thursday issued by its Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi, described the arrest as a significant step towards restoring law and order in Osun.
The party lauded the police for their vigilance in apprehending Alowonle and recovering a British Barretta pistol, six rounds of live ammunition, and an expended shell from the suspect’s vehicle.
The party, however, expressed shock and dismay at the state government’s hasty defense of the suspect, alleging that the PDP-led administration was more concerned with shielding its appointees than ensuring the safety of citizens.
“It is appalling that a government sworn to protect lives and property has turned itself into a megaphone for hardened criminals,” Olabisi said.
READ: Alowonle: CSOs Demand Removal Of Osun Anti-Kidnapping OC
The APC accused Governor Adeleke’s administration of harboring dangerous criminals under the guise of governance.
According to the party, Alowonle, who allegedly attempted to escape after his initial arrest, has a history of unresolved crimes, including threats to life and property destruction.
The party claimed his release would undermine the ongoing efforts to curb criminal activities in the state.
The APC also raised the alarm over the PDP’s alleged plan to use criminals to intimidate the opposition and rig the 2026 governorship election.
“Haven’t we been vindicated with our earlier allegations that the PDP government is stockpiling arms and ammunition to harass, maim, and kill members of the opposition? The arrest of Alowonle is a clear pointer to this sinister plot,” the statement read.
The APC questioned the silence of the state government on the identity of the police officer who allegedly handed the firearm to Alowonle, as revealed in a viral video.
The party also demanded explanations for the commercial drivers’ protest in Osogbo, which left commuters stranded and created chaos in the state capital.
“If the state government was not behind the protest, how did it become so organized and widespread? Innocent citizens were harassed, beaten, and left to trek long distances, while the government turned a blind eye,” Olabisi added.
“This hasty defence of a suspected criminal by Governor Adeleke’s government has provoked some fundamental questions about the government’s commitment to protecting the citizenry of Osun State which is the uppermost duty of any government which is alive to its constitutional responsibility.
“A situation where a government and the ruling party have turned themselves to the megaphone of a hardened criminal is a pointer to the abysmal low level to which the government of Governor Adeleke has been ridiculously and shamefully reduced to.
“That the ruling PDP could descend so low to be defending a suspected gunrunner and contrabandist go a long way to accentuate the maxim that an organization cannot be better than the quality of those running its affairs. The Osun PDP is a classical example of an irredeemable disaster which management is unfortunate to be in the hand of a certified bibulous personality while the government is being tendered to by some opportunistic caretakers due to the verifiable pathological challenges of the supposed number one man in the state.
“In a sane society, the government should genuinely partner with the law enforcement agencies in combating crimes and not brazenly aiding and abetting same as it is the case with the close associate of Governor Adeleke.
“There have been cases of fugitives and wanted criminals of the PDP extraction taking an undue advantage of the statutory immunity of Governor Adeleke who have been suspiciously hiding in the state Government House and his convoy to evade arrest. The list of such wanted suspected criminals is endless.
“This unsavoury development is pointing to the suspicion that the PDP government of Senator Adeleke is harbouring dangerous criminals ahead of the 2026 governorship election. It is our conviction that the people of Osun State deserve better than a government that is glaringly and brazenly prioritizing the interests of criminals over the expected constitutional safety and well-being of its citizens.
“It is a high level of absurdity and preposterousness that the PDP-run government in Osun State which is bereft of the nitty gritty of the iron-cast information in the possession of the police is acting the role of a meddlesome interloper to the consternation of the right-thinking members of the society instead of assisting the police in a case of a suspected criminal found in possession of firearms which he had openly confessed to.
“Was it an omission or a deliberate act on the part of the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Kolapo Alimi, who issued the statement on behalf of the state government in the defence of the arrested associate of his paymaster for refusing to tell the whole world what a private citizen was doing with the instruments of death found on him at the time of his arrest, assuming the suspect is one?
“Haven’t we been vindicated with our previous allegation that the PDP-run government in Osun State is piling up arms and ammunition with which they intend to harass, maim, kill the members of the opposition APC in the state with a view to rigging the 2026 governorship election?
“We, as a party, commend the efforts of the police in making the state unhabitable for the criminals and are enjoining the proactive statutory force to continue to work in tandem with the other sister security agencies in the state in order to restore the lost glory of the state as the hitherto most peaceful in Nigeria before the coming of Governor Adeleke and his goons into the political theatre of the State of the Virtuous.
“With the efforts of the Police so far, the constant beating, attacking and maiming of Osun citizens in broad daylight has been reduced to the barest minimum. Therefore, the Police must not, under whatever guise, succumb to the blackmail from the State Government over the arrest of Alowonle.
“It will interest the discerning members of the society why Alowonle rejected the earlier invitation of the police over a petition alleging threat to life written by one Ido-Osun Prince Nurudeen Ademola Jimoh, a businessman, whose cars, house and shopping mall were destroyed at the Oke-Baale area of Osogbo in a rift over an allegation that the businessman snatched Alowonle’s girlfriend.
“It will also satisfy the curiosity of the peace-loving members of the society for the wounded and hospitalized Governor Adeleke’s associate to disclose the identity of the police officer he said gave the British Barretta Pistol to him as reflected in the recorded video message that has gone viral.
“It was appalling that the PDP-run government in the state could callously choose an option of clandestinely promoting a commercial drivers’ protest yesterday whereby all the commercial vehicles were prevented from operating their business without considering the avoidable pains and inconveniences caused to the commuters who were left with the option of having to trek long distances to and from their destinations in Osogbo, the state capital.
“If the state government wasn’t behind the protest where some innocent inhabitants were harassed, beating up and wounded, it would not have been possible to make it a reality with the resultant effect of punishing the inhabitants of the state capital.”
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
