Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The Osun State Police Command has summoned Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East Senatorial District, over comments contained in a viral video ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi confirmed that the senator was invited by the Commissioner of Police overseeing election security, Samuel Etaifo.
“I can confirm that he (Fadahunsi) has been summoned by the CP. We will make a statement available regarding it,” Ojelabi said.
The controversy followed the circulation of a video in which Fadahunsi, speaking in Yoruba, was heard threatening members of the Accord Party during a protest in Ilesa over the reported killing of three members of the All Progressives Congress.
In the video, the senator said, “How many people have you seen the APC kill? We are here to tell you that until the day of the election, If we see any Accord member in Ilesa, we will kill them.”
Another video that surfaced on Tuesday showed APC chieftain and 2027 House of Representatives aspirant, Francis Eniade, warning that non-APC members should not come out to vote in Odo Otin Local Government Area 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. If you said you won’t listen to us, we have warned you ahead. All the votes in Odo-Otin belong to the APC.
“Tell Egbedun (Osun House of Assembly Speaker) that I don’t have his time. I am his elder brother. Accord Party can’t vote in Odo-Otin. I am the one who said so. To the APC members, go back to your ward and unit and tell them that anybody who is not an APC member should not come out to vote.”
Reacting to the development, Governor Ademola Adeleke called for Fadahunsi’s arrest, describing the remarks as dangerous and capable of triggering violence. He said he had reported the matter to the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and requested an investigation.
However, Fadahunsi denied threatening Accord Party members, insisting that the video circulating online was edited and taken out of context.
According to the senator, his remarks were made while discussing the killing of an individual identified as Rogba in Esa-Oke and the need to protect party supporters from further attacks.
“I made reference to one Rogba, who was killed in Esa-Oke by his co-cultists. The governor had referred to the deceased as his son and was also engaged in a disagreement with a sitting member of the House of Representatives on live television. My statement was very clear: if the killings do not stop, we shall also retaliate.
“All those being killed are Nigerians and, indeed, sons and daughters of the same communities. 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.
“Unfortunately, Davido and Olajengbesi took less than two minutes from a speech that lasted about 24 minutes and circulated it to achieve cheap political objectives. This is a clear case of deliberate misrepresentation and manipulation.” He said
