TUNDE ADELEKE, Osogbo
The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Hashim Abioye, has taken legal action against the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over alleged violations of fundamental rights and the unjustified arrests of the commission’s ad-hoc staff during the recently concluded local government election in the state.
Abioye who demanded N2 billion in damages, accused the police authorities of harassment, intimidation, and unlawful detention of some ad-hoc staff.
In a lawsuit filed at the Federal High Court in Osogbo on behalf of himself, the commission’s members, staff, and ad-hoc personnel, the claimants alleged that Egbetokun and Abba violated their fundamental rights through illegal arrests, detention, the unlawful sealing of the commission’s premises, threats of further arrests, and the unlawful seizure of commission properties, including ballot boxes, papers, and other sensitive materials.
The claimants sought court’s declaration that going by the provisions of Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the defendants were not justified by their act of invading/sealing off the plaintiffs’ office premises and threat to arrest the plaintiffs and their staff in flagrant disregard for the right to private life, right to liberty particularly in relation to the peaceful, free and fair election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025.
The commission and its chairman, through their counsel, Maruf Adeniran, urged the court for “AN ORDER directing the defendants to immediately vacate and unseal the plaintiffs’ office premises and immediate release of the plaintiffs’ staff arrested by the defendants in relation to the peaceful, free and fair election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025
“AN ORDER restraining all the defendants from arresting, detaining and/or taking any step or further step or doing anything capable of hampering the fundamental rights of the plaintiffs to liberty, private life and property as enshrined under the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights particularly in relation to the free and fair election conducted by the plaintiffs on 22nd February 2025.
“AN ORDER directing all the defendants jointly and severally to pay to the plaintiffs a sum of N2 Billion as damages, for instigating the breach and actual breach of the fundamental rights of the plaintiffs and her staff to liberty, dignity and private life.”
OSSIEC chairman had raised the alarm last weekend that the commission’s headquarters had been sealed off by the police since Friday, February 21.
Daily Champion gathered that the office was sealed during the February 22, 2025, local government election in the state, a situation the OSSIEC chairman attributed to the delay in election materials getting to some polling units.
It would be recalled that Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke during the swearing-in of newly elected local government chairmen directed them to stay away from the council Secretariats to avoid any clash with “those whom the police had aided to forcefully occupy the local government secretariats.”
Governor Adeleke said, “We are equally aware of the legal controversies that dogged the holding of the election. It is, however, a thing of joy that the facts are out in the public domain and we are satisfied that we are on the side of the law within the context of the rule of law and the constitution.”
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