A former Lagos and Benue states Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, has has said he joined the Accord Party in Oyo State to contribute to its growth.

The Peoples Gazette gathered that the retired police commissioner joined the political party on Saturday and was received by party leaders at the party’s secretariat in Yemetu, Ibadan North Local Government Area of the state.

In a video of the meeting, Mr Owoseni said his decision was driven by a desire to strengthen the party and demonstrate that politics can be practised in a well-mannered way.

The retired CP expressed commitment to contribute to collective efforts that would strengthen the party’s national visibility and representation in both the national and state assemblies.

Mr Owoseni stated, “It is for the growth of the party, not because we are seeking positions, that we have joined this party. By God’s grace, we will help put this party on the map, so that when people say the Accord Party does not have a president, we will also be able to point to worthwhile representatives in the national assembly and state assembly.”

Reiterating his intention to reposition the party, Mr Owoseni said he was not in competition with the Ibadan-based broadcaster and governorship aspirant under the Accord Party, Oriyomi Hamzat, whom he described as a younger brother.

“People have been asking me, ‘Do you want to usurp Oriyomi’s position?’ Oriyomi is my very good younger brother. God is the ultimate owner of every position. Our purpose for joining this party is to help fix it,” he said.

Mr Owoseni noted that Accord Party stood out among other political parties due to its ability to attract organic grassroots support, which he said was essential for Nigeria’s development.

“This is the first political party I have chosen to join. There are many other parties one could join, but everyone knows what they are looking for, and our principles differ.

“Compared to others, the Accord Party has the advantage of organic followership rooted in genuine grassroots support. What Nigeria needs is grassroots system. If we say security is poor, then strong grassroots support can help improve security,” he said.

Mr Owoseni expressed hope that his joining the party would not bring instability, but attract more credible members and promote peaceful, morally upright politics aimed at fixing the state.

“I sincerely thank you for warmly welcoming me into the party. God will not allow our joining to destabilise the party. I assure you that we are not here to seek followership for ourselves, rather, we want to attract more worthwhile people into the party,” he stated.

“We are not fighting anyone. People say politics is for violent people, but I tell them that violence does not pay. It pays to be well-mannered. We want to practise the politics of cultured people, not violence. Our mission is to help fix the state,” he noted.

Earlier, on Thursday Mr Owoseni resigned his appointment as the special adviser on security to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.

While in office, he served as the executive secretary of the Oyo State Security Trust Fund (OYSSTF) and also represented the state at the Forum of National and Subnational Security Officials (FONSSO), which operates under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).