Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has called for economic sanctions and visa bans against some opposition leaders in the state, accusing them of allegedly aiding and abetting political violence ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Adeleke made the call while receiving a delegation of the British Government on a pre-election peace-building mission to Osun State.
The governor alleged that some opposition politicians were encouraging violence through their supporters, leading to killings and gun attacks across the state.
According to a statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke urged the international community to impose sanctions on politicians and security officials found to be sponsoring or enabling political violence.
The governor specifically accused some leaders of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, of allegedly promoting violence in the state through their supporters and allies. Those mentioned in the report include the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji; Senator Francis Fadahunsi; Hon. Wole Oke; and others.
While commending security chiefs for intervening to curb the violence, Adeleke insisted that persons found to be instigating attacks must be held accountable, regardless of their 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,” he said.
According to the statement, Adeleke’s remarks came amid the reported killing of another Accord Party member in Ijebu-Jesa.
The governor’s camp alleged that five Accord members had been killed and 15 others critically injured since the commencement of the 2026 political campaigns, blaming the attacks on suspected opposition thugs.
Adeleke urged security agencies to investigate and prosecute both the direct perpetrators of political attacks and their alleged sponsors.
He argued that public statements and actions by some opposition leaders justified his call for international sanctions.
“I believe we must have a deterrent against those promoting political violence. We seek a 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 its choice about who governs it. There must be consequences for those deliberately endangering the lives of our people for selfish political gains,” the governor said.
The British delegation was led by Senior Political Adviser, Wale Adebajo, who said the visit formed part of ongoing pre-election peace-building efforts in the state.
Adebajo assured the governor that the British Government would continue to engage relevant stakeholders to promote a peaceful, credible and transparent electoral process before, during and after the August 15 governorship election.
Osun has witnessed heightened political tension in recent months, with the ruling Accord Party and the opposition trading accusations over alleged killings, intimidation, violent attacks and attempts to undermine the electoral process.
Security agencies have repeatedly called on political actors and their supporters to conduct campaigns peacefully and refrain from acts capable of triggering violence.
The fresh call for sanctions is expected to deepen debate over the role of international partners in Nigeria’s electoral process, particularly in states facing allegations of politically motivated violence.
The named opposition figures had not been convicted of the allegations as of the time of this report.
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