New Police Boss Appointed for Osun Governorship Election

The Nigeria Police Force has sent a new Commissioner of Police, Samuel Erale, to manage the upcoming governorship election in Osun State on August 15.

This decision follows months of calls from the state government to remove CP Ibrahim Gotan. He faced criticism for his alleged bias and mishandling of security during elections.

Abiodun Ojelabi, the Police Public Relations Officer in Osun and a deputy superintendent, confirmed Mr Erale’s appointment to replace Mr Gotan on Friday.

It seems Mr Erale will only take charge temporarily until the election is over. “What we have is that election CP is being deployed to Osun State. Although he is yet to report or assume office,” Mr Ojelabi said in a phone call with PREMIUM TIMES.

The police have not officially stated why Mr Gotan was moved. This change comes after ongoing criticism of his leadership, especially regarding the police's response to politically sensitive events and election violence in Osun.

Sahara Reporter mentioned that Mr Gotan has been reassigned to work under the Commissioner of Police at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on a special duty assignment.

This redeployment happened just a day after the police released Osun State Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye. He was arrested with five others during a controversial raid at his home. They were accused of vote-buying and hiding a wanted suspect.

The raid stirred strong political reactions. The Osun State Government and the ruling Accord Party claimed the police were unfairly targeting top officials for political reasons.

Pressure on Mr Gotan increased as political groups and civil society questioned how neutral the police command was ahead of the election. PREMIUM TIMES reported that in June, a group of civil society organizations protested in Osogbo. They called for Mr Gotan’s removal over claims of bias in handling election-related violence.

On Thursday, the ruling Accord Party also wrote to President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police. They accused Mr Gotan of being biased in his responses to attacks on their members. They claimed he was targeting officials from Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration.

The criticism grew after police raided the SSG’s home, claiming they found N4.8 million cash, two permanent voter cards, voter registers, and other materials during the investigation into possible electoral offences.

While police said the operation was legal, the state government argued it was politically motivated. They claimed security agencies were trying to scare government officials ahead of the election.

Mr Gotan’s replacement is part of a familiar trend in Osun State. Police commissioners often face intense political pressure during gubernatorial elections and are replaced.

Before the 2022 governorship election, civil groups and supporters of then-Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola wanted the removal of Police Commissioner Olawale Olokode. They claimed the police were not acting fairly after attacks on campaign offices.

The then Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, later moved Mr Olokode to the Force headquarters in Abuja and replaced him with Julius Okoro, who supervised the Osun election.

Political watchers say the regular redeployment of police commissioners during election times shows ongoing worries about the neutrality of security agencies in Nigeria’s competitive political landscape.

The new commissioner comes into office at a time when Osun has seen an increase in politically related violence, arrests, and accusations among rival parties ahead of the August 15 election.

The election is expected to be a tight race between the current Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party and Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), along with candidates from 12 other parties.