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Imole Campaign Council, the campaign group for Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election, on Monday, faulted the redeployment of police commissioner  Ibrahim Gotan to the state amid widespread violence ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The council, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, described Mr Gotan’s controversial reinstatement as very concerning, citing “gross harassment, abuse of human rights and arbitrary arrest and detention of Accord Party chieftains and members under his supervision”.

The council said Mr Gotan’s redeployment after he allegedly detained the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, and others at his residence reflected intent to hound the Accord Party in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polls.

“Suffice to say that the SSG was released immediately and the items taken from his house returned to him. This shows how politically consumed and unprofessional CP Gotan is to hound Accord Party chieftains to favour the All Progressives Congress in the August 15 governorship election,” it stated.

The council lamented that Mr Gotan was reinstated to oversee the forthcoming poll after CP Samuel Etaifo had been transferred to the state, alleging that the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, was pressured by the ruling APC.

Noting that security agencies must remain neutral and professional to achieve credibility and fairness in any election, the council said the IG “must not allow CP Gotan and his APC friends to plunge Nigeria’s democracy into the abyss through intimidation, arbitrary arrest, witch hunt and harassment of opponents.”

It urged Mr Disu to address the people of the state, adding that he must ensure the election is free, fair and credible.

“The IGP must address the people of Osun State and assure them of a violence-free poll on August 15, 2026. He must back his words with action and ensure the neutrality and impartiality of his men all through the election.

“The use of arrest and detention as tools of oppression of the opposition must end. Nigerians are watching. The world is watching. Democracy is about plurality of parties and not oppression and intimidation of opponents,” the council added.

The development came amid reports of violence in the state ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

Meanwhile, Mr Disu had assured residents of adequate security, saying the election would be one of the best in the country’s history.

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A governorship aspirant of the Accord Party in Oyo State, Hon. Olakunle Busari, has approached the Federal High Court in Ibadan, seeking to nullify the emergence of Mr. Oriyomi Hamzat as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 general elections.

Busari, through his counsel, Tunji Ogunrinde (SAN), filed the suit marked FHC/IB/CS/97/26, asking the court to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove Hamzat’s name from its records and replace it with his own as the authentic Accord governorship candidate.

According to the suit, Busari alleged that Hamzat did not participate in the party’s direct primary election held on May 26, 2026, insisting that his nomination was unlawfully secured through a section of the party’s leadership.

The plaintiff maintained that he emerged winner of the direct primary after polling the highest number of votes and argued that he is the rightful candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State.

Busari is therefore asking the court to compel INEC to recognise and publish his name as the valid winner of the party’s primary election.

He is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from recognising or giving effect to Hamzat’s nomination as the Accord governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

In addition, Busari wants the court to restrain Hamzat from parading himself as the bona fide and authentic governorship candidate of the Accord Party pending the determination of the matter.

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The battle for the political soul of Rivers State gathered fresh momentum on Monday, August 3, 2026, as supporters of the former House of Representatives Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, activated what appears to be an early statewide mobilisation strategy, extending their campaign machinery to all 23 local government areas and ward structures ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The development signals that while the official electioneering whistle is yet to be blown, political camps are already laying claim to the grassroots in what analysts describe as a familiar contest where influence, structure and strategic alliances often determine who eventually occupies Brick House.

The pro-Chinda support group, Our Will, announced the expansion of its political network across the state, directing its state executive members to immediately establish functional local government and ward executives capable of driving voter mobilisation before formal campaigns commence.

State Chairman of the group, King Okene, said the organisation was determined to transform Chinda’s existing political popularity into what he described as an “unstoppable electoral mandate,” insisting that every ward must become a political fortress for the lawmaker’s governorship aspiration.

According to him, the publication of the electoral timetable has effectively opened a new phase of political calculations, making early grassroots organisation a strategic necessity rather than a luxury.

“We should double our efforts to ensure we meet the targets before electioneering campaigns officially begin. Every local government and ward structure must be fully operational within the first week of August,” he charged members.

In what appeared to be a calculated attempt to frame Chinda as the political heir to a tested governance model, President-General of Our Will, Glory Wobo, declared that the federal lawmaker’s years of public service and close political association with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have adequately prepared him for the state’s highest office.

Wobo argued that leadership is cultivated through mentorship rather than chance, maintaining that Chinda’s political apprenticeship under Wike – combined with his experience as commissioner and long-serving legislator – has equipped him with the administrative depth required to govern Rivers State.

He cited ongoing infrastructure renewal in the Federal Capital Territory as evidence of the leadership tradition from which Chinda emerged, suggesting that effective governance leaves measurable footprints rather than campaign slogans.

According to Wobo, Chinda enjoys goodwill that cuts across political parties, ethnic groups and religious divides, describing the lawmaker as a consensus figure whose appeal extends beyond partisan politics into credibility, accessibility and public service.

The latest mobilisation drive underscores the intensifying political chess game ahead of the 2027 governorship election, where aspirants are increasingly investing in grassroots structures long before formal campaigns begin.

With support groups already deploying ward-by-ward political architecture and competing camps quietly consolidating influence, Rivers State is once again demonstrating that, in Nigerian politics, the contest for power often begins long before the first ballot is printed.