The Osun State Police Command has invited Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, for questioning following a controversial statement he allegedly made during an All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rally in Ilesa.
Fadahunsi came under intense criticism after a video from the campaign circulated widely on social media, showing the senator urging APC supporters to attack members of the rival Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The police subsequently directed the senator to appear before the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Osogbo at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12. The invitation, dated August 11 and signed by the Commissioner of Police in charge of election security in Osun, Samuel Etaifo Erale, said the command wanted Fadahunsi to clarify statements considered potentially “threatening, inciting and intimidating.”
The police intervention follows growing concern over political violence in Osun as the state approaches the August 15 governorship election. The senator’s remarks were made against the backdrop of reports of shootings and killings in parts of Ilesa, where political tensions have escalated in recent days.
Senator says remarks were metaphorical
Meanwhile, Fadahunsi rejected the interpretation that he was calling for the physical killing of Accord supporters.
Following the backlash, his media team issued a statement titled “Kill Osun Accord with Votes, Not Violence, Fadahunsi Tells APC on Tuesday.” The statement said the senator was using political language to urge APC supporters to defeat the Accord Party with their votes.
Fadahunsi also explained during a television appearance that his comments were intended to mean that voters should ‘kill’ the opposition politically by defeating it with their votes, rather than physically attacking its members.
The senator said his remarks were made in the context of what he described as violence against members of his community and party. He alleged that several people had been killed or wounded and accused the authorities of failing to respond adequately to the security situation.
Sky News reports that the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke is seeking another term on the Accord Party platform. He faces the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji; the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salam, and 10 other candidates.
