Amid the ongoing crisis surrounding the Osun State local government elections, the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC), Hashim Abioye, and the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Sunday Bisi, have filed separate lawsuits against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, over an alleged plan to arrest them.
Abioye, in suit number FHC/OS/CS/41/2025, is seeking N2 billion in damages, citing the enforcement of his fundamental human rights as enshrined in Sections 35(1)(6), 36, 41, 44, and 46 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
He is also asking the court to restrain the IGP from arresting or detaining him in connection with the conduct of the February 22, 2025, local government election in Osun State.
In his plea, Abioye also urged the court to order the IGP and the Osun State Commissioner of Police to unseal the OSIEC office, release detained staff, and restore access to the premises.
“The election was peaceful, free, and fair, and there is no justification for the unlawful closure of OSIEC or the arrest of its staff,” he stated.
The PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, in a separate suit (FHC/OS/CS/42/2025), also sought an injunction to stop any planned arrest by the IGP, maintaining that he had not committed any offense under the law.
“There is no legal basis for my arrest. This is nothing but a politically motivated attempt to silence opposition voices in Osun State,” Bisi said.
Bisi further alleged that the IGP had previously plotted the assassination of Governor Ademola Adeleke on the eve of the February 22 local government elections, a claim that has fueled tensions within the state’s political landscape.
