Open Letter to President Tinubu: Osun APC Members Need Protection, Says Barrister Adesola Ajiboye-Omotowo

Open Letter to President Tinubu: Osun APC Members Need Protection, Says Barrister Adesola Ajiboye-Omotowo

 

By Barrister Princess Adesola Ajiboye-Omotowo

 

An Open Letter to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

 

Dear Mr President,

 

I write this open letter with a heavy heart, not merely as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but as a daughter of Osun State, a legal practitioner and a citizen deeply concerned about the security of our people and the atmosphere surrounding political participation in our dear state.

 

As Osun moves through a critical political period, the safety of every citizen — regardless of party affiliation — must remain sacred. Democracy loses its meaning when citizens become afraid to openly identify with a political party, attend political gatherings, campaign for candidates of their choice or freely exercise their constitutional rights.

 

Mr President, recent reports concerning the alleged killing of APC members in Ilesa and other incidents of political violence are deeply disturbing. The APC has protested what it described as the killing of 12 of its members, while thousands of concerned residents and party supporters reportedly came out in Ilesa to protest and demand an end to the violence.

 

Whether the victims belong to the APC, Accord Party, PDP, ADC or any other political organisation, the loss of Nigerian lives in circumstances connected with political activities must concern every responsible leader. No political ambition is worth the blood of a Nigerian.

 

For me, this matter goes beyond politics. I speak as a mother who knows the indescribable pain of losing a child. I lost my son at the young age of 25, and that experience has given me a personal understanding of the emptiness and anguish that accompany the death of a loved one. No parent, sibling, spouse or relative will ever be happy to lose someone dear to them. I know the pain these bereaved families must be feeling, and my heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one.

 

That is why every reported loss of life should concern us, irrespective of political affiliation. Behind every person killed is a family — parents, children, spouses, siblings and friends — whose lives may never be the same again.

 

What is particularly troubling is the growing feeling among many APC members in Osun that they are being subjected to harassment, intimidation and an atmosphere of fear simply because they have chosen to support their party and its candidates.

 

Mr President, this must not be allowed to become the character of politics in Osun State.

 

The people who recently marched through Ilesa were not asking for any special democratic privilege. Their demand was fundamentally about the right to participate in politics without fear of being attacked or killed. Nigerians must be free to support candidates of their choice without intimidation.

 

As a lawyer, I strongly believe that allegations of politically motivated killings must be subjected to thorough, independent and professional investigation. Those responsible for violence, regardless of their political connections or affiliations, should be identified and prosecuted according to law. At the same time, accusations must be established through credible investigations rather than political speculation.

 

Mr President, Osun APC members need protection. But so does every resident of Osun State.

 

We respectfully appeal to you, as Commander-in-Chief, to direct the appropriate federal security agencies to strengthen security across Osun, particularly in identified flashpoints, political gathering venues and communities where tensions are rising.

 

Security agencies must remain professional, impartial and proactive. Their responsibility should not be to protect one political party against another but to create an environment where the APC, Accord Party, PDP, ADC and every other registered political party can campaign freely and every voter can make a choice without fear.

 

We also call for a comprehensive investigation into reported political killings, attacks, threats and intimidation. Every allegation deserves proper examination. Anyone found responsible for criminal conduct should face the full weight of the law.

 

Osun is historically known as a state of culturally sophisticated, hardworking and peace-loving people. Political disagreement should never turn neighbours into enemies or transform elections into warfare.

 

Only recently, I spoke about the future of Osun and argued that our state requires technical expertise, strategic leadership, economic innovation and stronger collaboration with the Federal Government to unlock its enormous developmental potential. Osun possesses significant opportunities in agriculture, tourism, solid minerals, commerce and small-scale industries.

 

I argued that the conversation about Osun’s future should focus on competence, economic development, stronger internally generated revenue, investment attraction, employment creation and improved living standards.

 

Those are the debates our people deserve.

 

Let politicians debate roads. Let us debate agriculture. Let us debate jobs, education, healthcare, industrialisation, security, investment and how Osun can build a stronger partnership with the Federal Government.

 

Let us debate which candidate possesses the technical expertise, administrative competence and economic vision required to transform Osun.

 

But let nobody answer political disagreement with violence.

 

Our support for the APC and its candidate should never become justification for anyone to threaten, harass or attack us. In the same manner, supporters of the Accord Party, PDP, ADC and other political parties must be guaranteed their freedom and security.

 

Mr President, members of our party in Osun look up to you not simply because you are the leader of the APC, but because you are President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

 

We therefore appeal for your intervention before the situation deteriorates further.

 

We need stronger security presence where necessary. We need intelligence-led policing capable of preventing attacks before they occur. We need security agencies to investigate reported killings and bring perpetrators to justice. Above all, we need a clear message that nobody — irrespective of political party, office or influence — is permitted to intimidate Nigerians or take another person’s life because of politics.

 

The approaching political contest should be a competition of ideas, programmes, competence and records, not a contest determined by fear.

 

Our party members must be able to campaign freely. Accord Party members and supporters of every opposition party must equally be able to campaign freely. Political meetings should not become invitations to violence, and citizens should not have to calculate whether attending a rally could cost them their lives.

 

Mr President, we appeal to you: come to the aid of Osun and help guarantee a peaceful political environment.

 

The greatest victory for democracy will not merely be which party eventually triumphs at the ballot box. It will be that Osun conducts its political process peacefully and that every legitimate vote is cast without intimidation.

 

As I have previously maintained, Osun has enormous human and natural resources, but transforming those opportunities into prosperity requires competent leadership, technical expertise and a sound economic strategy.

 

We want to discuss that future. We want to convince our people through ideas. We want to campaign peacefully and allow the electorate to decide.

 

We do not want bloodshed.

 

As a mother who has buried a 25-year-old son, I cannot treat the death of another person’s child, husband, wife, brother or sister as merely another political statistic. I know what it means for someone you love to leave home and never return. I know the pain a family carries afterwards. That is why I appeal to all political actors in Osun: whatever our differences, let us remember that we are first human beings before we are politicians.

 

Enough of political intimidation. Enough of harassment. Enough of violence. No mother should bury her child because of politics. No family should lose a loved one simply because that person exercised the constitutional freedom to support the APC, Accord Party or any other political party.

 

I respectfully urge you, Mr President, to use your good office to ensure that the appropriate security institutions protect lives, investigate every credible allegation of political violence and guarantee a peaceful democratic environment throughout Osun State.

 

History will remember not only those who win elections, but also those who ensure that democracy is practised without fear, intimidation or bloodshed.

 

God bless Osun State.

 

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

Barrister Princess Adesola Ajiboye-Omotowo