The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted and subsequently rejected the choice of the controversial retired Chief Superintendent of Police, Mr Adekunle Omoyele, as the commandant of the state Security Network also known as Amotekun Corps, stating that his past professional record has put a credibility burden on both the appointee and his employer.
According to the Osun State chairman of the APC, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi, today, the appointment of Omoyele as the state commandant of the Amotekun Corps is another misnomer and an unpardonable executive heresy which the infamous Governor Ademola Adeleke is known for in the eyes of the right-thinking members of the society.
Lawal noted that one does not need to be a genius to know that the controversial ex-police officer who hails from Oyo State and had one time served as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Governor Adeleke lacks capacity was recruited to perpetrate evil and electoral fraud as he has been known for over the years.
The state APC chairman hinted that Omoyele’s appointment by Adeleke despite the outcries by the citizenry and civil societies against it is a pointer to the fact that the embattled Governor Adeleke is scheming to replicate his election-rigging plans against the forthcoming 2026 governorship election in the state.
He also stated that the appointment of AIG Wale Abass( rtd ), who hails from the same Ede with the governor, as the chairman of the Amotekun Corps in the state is unhealthy and an unflattering classical example of nepotism and desperation institutionalized by the administration of Governor Adeleke to return to government in 2026.
Lawal explained that the Abass appointment is not only irregular but offensive and against the spirit and letter of the federal character codes which stipulate even spread of political appointments among the components of the nine geo-political zones making up the state.
In the words of Lawal: “If not for an ulterior or dirty motive, what could have prompted the appointment of Omoyele as the Commandant of the Amotekun Corps in Osun State when recalling the unenviable and controversial activities of the retired police officer when in the service?
“Has it eluded the memory of Governor Adeleke that Omoyele was said to have been indicted by the Osun State Judicial Panel that investigated the EndSARS protest over extra-judicial killings and other human rights violations against the citizens of the state?
“It is very recent for one to have forgotten that Omoyele as the Chief Security Officer of Governor Adeleke was severally accused of harassing and intimidating the opposition leaders in the state during the presidential and house of Assembly elections in the state.
“Omoyole, a serially criticized former police officer, who was named in the dastardly killings of two members of the same family, Olalekan Abideen and Kafayat Abideen in Ede in August 2022 should not have been considered for a sensitive appointment of the Commandant of the Amotekun Corps in Osun State.
“It would be recalled that in a petition dated August 8, 2022, and addressed to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police at the time, by the family of the deceased, an appeal was made to the police authorities to investigate the wicked murder of the two members of their family and bring the then serving CSP Omoyele Adekunle and others found wanting to book.
“It is disheartening that rather than being investigated and prosecuted for the alleged crime committed by him, Omoyele is being rewarded with sensitive position, a development which portrays him as an untouchable and a sacred cow.
“I make bold to say that the appointment of a tainted retired police officer like Omoyele to the headship of the Amotekun Corps in Osun State is an insult on the collective sensibilities of the family seeking justice for the unwarranted killing of their loved ones.
“Our position as a party is that Governor Adeleke should without further delay strip Omoyele and Abass of the unmerited appointments as their being retained will confirm our concern that Governor Adeleke, fearing that debilitating electoral defeat is awaiting him in the 2026 governorship contest owing to his disastrously poor performance in government, is desperate and resolve to win the election by hook or by crook as he has always done”, the Osun State APC chairman stated.
