The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has praised the police command for stopping what it calls an assassination plot against Wole Oke, the director-general of its governorship campaign council. The commendation follows Thursday's parade of three suspects linked to an alleged murder plan targeting Oke in Ipetu Ijesa on June 30, 2026.
Police identified the suspects as disc jockey Olalekan Oriyomi, Ayotunde Ikupolati, 44, and Femi Fakinleye, 31. Officers recovered an English Beretta pistol loaded with four rounds of ammunition from one of the suspects, the Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan said through spokesman DSP Abiodun Ojelabi.
In a statement released Friday, APC Director of Media and Publicity Kola Olabisi lauded the police for taking decisive action to purge the state of criminals. The party noted that had the suspects succeeded, Osun would have faced fresh tragedy that opponents would have weaponised against the APC without waiting for proper investigation.
"We have absolute confidence in the police that they would do a thorough investigation into the assassination attempt on our Director-General with a view to exposing, arresting and prosecuting all those who may be directly or remotely connected with the crime," the statement read. The party vowed faith in law enforcement to complete the probe comprehensively.
The APC questioned whether political violence should define the coming governorship election in the state. It asked whether the entire state should become a battleground for a governor seeking re-election despite being "outrightly rejected by the people because of his unenviable poor performance in the past three years."
The party challenged whether force and brutal tactics were necessary to govern residents who've decided the current administration hasn't delivered acceptable progress compared to other prosperous states. It implied that peaceful rejection of poor governance should suffice without resorting to violence.
The APC expressed concern that Governor Ademola Adeleke and Accord Party state chairman Victor Akande hadn't publicly condemned the alleged assassination attempt days after the incident occurred. The silence from these figures, the party suggested, was troubling given the gravity of the situation.
The APC urged police to press ahead vigorously with their investigation while pursuing influential figures the arrested suspects had mentioned during interrogation. "We are further enjoining them to intensify their efforts to completely rid the state of political hoodlums and go after the influential figures mentioned by the arrested suspected assassins who have been confessing like canary birds in police detention," the statement said.
The party encouraged members to continue peaceful campaigning for its governorship candidate Bola Oyebamiji ahead of the August 15, 2026 election. It expressed confidence Oyebamiji would prevail at the polls.
