Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
OSOGBO — Tensions are escalating in Osun State just days before Saturday’s governorship election, with Governor Ademola Adeleke calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Senator Francis Fadahunsi over a viral video in which the lawmaker allegedly urged supporters to “kill” members of the Accord Party.
Addressing an emergency press briefing on Tuesday in Osogbo, Governor Adeleke described the senator’s remarks as a grave national security threat that extends beyond partisan politics.
“The viral video of a serving Senator, Francis Fadahunsi, who today called for the killing of Accord Party leaders, supporters and their families. In the video, the Senator even threatened that where they cannot get Accord Party leaders, they should kill their wives and children,” Adeleke told journalists.
The governor confirmed he had reported the matter to Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, who reportedly acknowledged the existence of the footage and assured him that action would be taken.
Senator Denies Incitement
Senator Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East Senatorial District and is a prominent campaigner for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, has vehemently denied inciting violence.
In a statement issued by his media office, the senator maintained that his controversial reference to “killing” political opponents was a metaphor for defeating them at the ballot box.
“What I told my people is that between now and the day of elections, my people should come out en masse and kill with votes,” Fadahunsi clarified, insisting his remarks were a call for electoral victory through lawful and democratic means.
The senator further alleged that the viral footage, which was circulated by Afrobeat singer Davido, had been deliberately edited from a 24-minute speech to less than two minutes to distort its meaning.
“I don’t preach violence. The video was deliberately edited to distort what I actually said,” Fadahunsi stated during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He claimed his comments were made in response to alleged attacks on APC members in Ilesa, warning that “if the killings do not stop, we shall also retaliate”.
Security Concerns Mount
Governor Adeleke also raised serious concerns about alleged security operations targeting Accord Party leaders, claiming that more than 62 of his party’s members remain in police detention without formal charges.
The governor alleged that a police signal had been issued for the arrest of Accord Party figures across the state, with instructions that those detained be transported to Abuja and held until after the election.
“We demand that the IGP enforce due process and fair policing by aborting all anti-people plots against democracy in Osun State,” Adeleke declared, calling on security agencies to act in accordance with the rule of law before, during and after the election.
The controversy comes amid heightened political tensions ahead of the August 15 gubernatorial poll, with both parties trading accusations of violence and intimidation.
Meanwhile, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, while on Channel TV’s Politics Today on Tuesday said what he ordered his supporters in Ijesha land to do was to kill Accord members with votes on Saturday.
He, however, in another breath, insisted that there’s no room for members of the Accord members and their leaders in Ijesha on the day of election.
