The Osun State chapter of the Accord Party has accused leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to destabilise opposition parties through frivolous lawsuits and alleged manipulation of court processes.
In a statement on Sunday in Osogbo, the state chairman of the party, Pastor Victor Akande, condemned alleged attempts by a powerful APC caucus to procure ex parte orders and default judgments to disrupt the internal activities of rival political parties ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.
According to him, the alleged actions are aimed at undermining democratic processes in the state.
“This move by a powerful caucus within the state APC is intended to undermine democratic processes ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial election,” Akande said.
He stated that investigations by the party had uncovered a coordinated plan to sponsor misleading and meritless court cases in order to engineer artificial crises within opposition parties.
“The APC faction has adopted the strategy of instituting court cases with no legal merit, with the sole aim of preventing other political parties from presenting candidates for the governorship contest,” he said.
This represents a dangerous escalation in the politics of manipulation and desperation and poses a serious threat to the credibility of the electoral process in Osun State,” he added.
Akande further alleged that a prominent APC leader in the state was invoking the President’s name to coerce individuals into participating in the scheme.
“We have it on good authority that a certain leader of the APC in Osun State is invoking the President’s name to coerce and recruit people into this undemocratic act. Their aim is to destroy other political parties and avoid any form of contest. They have done this to several parties already.
They even turned against themselves with the reported disqualification of about seven out of nine aspirants in their party,” he alleged.
“But in Accord, they have failed. The purported suit filed to distract us ahead of our primary election this week has exposed them. As I have stated before, we will teach that counsel a professional lesson through the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC),” he said.
“Such actions amount to a direct assault on democracy and a dangerous attempt to secure political power through intimidation, legal ambush, and suppression of legitimate political participation. Allowing such tendencies to thrive would diminish transparency and fair competition,” he stressed.
Akande cited a recent suit filed by one Oliver Bitrus through his counsel, Daniel Edeachi, as the latest example of what he described as judicial abuse allegedly orchestrated by the APC caucus.
He said investigations by Accord suggested a deliberate effort to mislead the courts and destabilise the internal operations of opposition parties, vowing to pursue accountability through appropriate legal channels.
He also alleged that the same APC group was responsible for the internal disqualification of seven out of nine governorship aspirants within the ruling party, claiming it was done to clear the way for a preferred candidate.
Describing the move as a subversion of internal democracy, Akande said it betrayed the principles of fairness and equal opportunity.
He therefore called on civil society organisations, democratic institutions, political stakeholders and the general public to remain vigilant and resist any attempt to erode the democratic space.
“All lovers of democracy should be vigilant and alert to resist these anti-democratic forces. They do not believe in democracy and freedom of choice; they are unpopular, yet they want to force themselves on the people of Osun. This will never happen,” he said.
“For us in Accord, we are united and resolute. We will neither be cowed nor intimidated by their antics. At the state and national levels, there is no division, and we remain focused on concluding the process of electing our candidate for the August 8, 2026 governorship election,” Akande added.
Leave a Comment