The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Osun state governorship election, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday obtained a court order, restraining the police from arresting him.
Adeleke had approached a High Court of Justice in Ejigbo, Osun State, after the Police accused him of engaging in examination malpractice and summoned him.
In granting Adeleke’s application, the court made an order restraining the police, “their agents or privies from taking any steps by way of arresting and or detaining the applicant that will infringe on the liberty and freedom of the applicant to prepare for and participate in the Osun State governorship election of the 22 day of September, 2018 and thereafter, pending the determination at the substantive application.”
The announcement by the police on Wednesday that it had filed charges against Adeleke for examination malpractice, aiding and abetting, impersonation and criminal conspiracy was rejected by the Senator’s party, PDP, and his campaign organisation.
The PDP accused the police of acting the script of the All Progressives Congress, while the Adeleke campaign organisation described the action of the police as a threat to democracy.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Wednesday, said the action of the police was “horrible, nauseating and displeasing”.
“While the PDP is in no way against any legitimate effort by any security agency in the discharge of its duties, we totally reject this unrelenting attempt to use trumped-up charges to take down our candidate, simply because the APC has realised that he is coasting to victory,” Ologbondiyan said.