Speaking while receiving a delegation of the British government on the forthcoming Osun elections, Governor Adeleke noted that those listed actively promote political violence in Osun State through their cronies and allies, leading to killings and gun attacks across the state.
While commending security chiefs for stepping in to stop the violence, the governor accused those listed of tactfully and openly encouraging violence, declaring his stance against violence again and calling on security agencies to arrest any suspect, no matter the political affiliation.
“I have zero tolerance for violence. I have told the Inspector General of Police that if my son is involved, he should be arrested. I told the world we harbour no thugs anywhere and the police can and should arrest any suspect. There must be strict law enforcement,” said Adeleke.
The governor’s comments came amidst another political killing of an Accord member at Ijebu-Jesa, making it five Accord members killed and 15 critically wounded by suspected APC thugs since the commencement of the 2026 political campaigns.
Governor Adeleke, who tasked security agencies to go after suspects and their sponsors, said publicly available utterances and actions of top Osun APC leaders and chieftains justify his call for economic sanctions and visa ban on the listed APC leaders.
“I believe we must have a deterrent against those promoting political violence. We seek visa ban against politicians sponsoring killings and violent attacks. We advocate for similar sanctions against security chiefs aiding and abetting such anti-democratic activities.
“Election is not about bloodshed. Osun deserves the peace and freedom to make their choice about who governs them. There must be consequences for those deliberately endangering the lives of our people for selfish political gains,” the governor told the British team led by the Senior Political Advisor, Wale Adebajo.
The Senior Political Advisor told the governor the team was in the state as part of pre-election peacebuilding efforts alongside other partners, assuring that the British government supports peaceful and transparent electoral process.
He assured that the diplomatic team will engage with all stakeholders to ensure peaceful environment for the August 15th polls while preaching the imperative of free and fair polls.