Police summon Osun senator over alleged threat against Accord members ahead of guber election

By Chris Steven

The Osun state police command has summoned Francis Fadahunsi, the senator representing Osun east, over an alleged threat against members of the Accord party ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

Abiodun Ojelabi, police spokesperson in Osun, confirmed the development on Wednesday, saying Fadahunsi was summoned by Samuel Etaifo, the commissioner of police overseeing security for the election.

“I can confirm that he (Fadahunsi) has been summoned by the CP. We will make a statement available regarding it,” Ojelabi said.

The development followed the circulation of a video in which Fadahunsi, speaking in Yoruba, allegedly threatened members of the Accord in Ilesa ahead of the election.

In the video, the senator was heard saying Accord members seen in Ilesa before election day would be killed.

The remarks were reportedly made at the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland in Ilesa during a protest over the alleged killing of three members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the area.

Fadahunsi was said to have attended the gathering alongside Francis Eniade, the APC candidate for Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo Otin federal constituency in the 2027 general election.

In a separate video, Eniade allegedly warned non-APC members against coming out to vote in Odo Otin LGA on election day.

“I was only waiting for today before I talked. I swear to God, anyone who is not an APC member should not come out on election day,” he said in the video.

The comments have drawn condemnation from the state government, with Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun, calling for Fadahunsi’s arrest and investigation.

Adeleke said the alleged threat went beyond political rhetoric and could trigger violence.

“The second issue has to do with the viral video of a serving Senator, Francis Fadahunsi, who today called for the killing of Accord Party leaders, supporters and their families,” the Adeleke aid.

“This is now beyond politics. This is now a national security threat that requires the attention of Mr President through the office of the national security adviser.”

The governor said he had reported the matter to Olatunji Disu, the inspector-general of police, who he claimed confirmed the existence of the video and assured him that action would be taken.

FADAHUNSI DENIES THREATENING ACCORD MEMBERS

Fadahunsi has, however, denied that he called for the killing of Accord Party members, saying his remarks were taken out of context.

In a statement personally signed by him, the senator said an edited video of his speech was being circulated on social media to portray him negatively.

He said his comments were made in the context of alleged killings of APC members and were intended to warn that his supporters would defend themselves if attacks continued.

“I stated unequivocally that if our party members are killed again, we will not simply fold our arms and watch. We will defend our people, even if such an incident occurs on election day,” he said.

Fadahunsi accused those circulating the video of deliberately removing part of a speech that lasted about 24 minutes.

“This is a clear case of deliberate misrepresentation and manipulation,” he said.

The police summons comes as security agencies intensify preparations for Saturday’s Osun governorship election, amid concerns over politically motivated violence and inflammatory statements by political actors.