Senator Francis Fadahunsi has denied allegations that he incited violence ahead of the Osun State governorship election, describing a viral video attributed to him as a deliberate misrepresentation of his comments.
The controversy followed the circulation of a video on social media in which Fadahunsi was allegedly heard calling on his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party seen in Ilesa ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
However, in a statement on Tuesday, the lawmaker rejected the allegation, saying the video was edited to distort the context of his remarks.
Fadahunsi explained that he was speaking about the alleged killing of members of his party by suspected Accord Party thugs in Ilesa and other parts of the state.
He said his warning was that the party would retaliate if the alleged attacks against its members continued.
“The video was deliberately edited to distort what I actually said,” Fadahunsi stated.
According to him, his comments were made in response to what he described as continued violence against APC members in Ilesa.
He maintained that his party would not remain passive if its members continued to be attacked, adding that the statement was a call for his supporters to defend themselves rather than an instruction to target members of another political party.
Fadahunsi also accused Davido and Olajengbesi of taking less than two minutes from a speech that lasted about 24 minutes and circulating the excerpt for what he described as political purposes.
He insisted that his remarks were about the alleged violence against APC members and a demand for justice, stressing that those involved in the reported killings were Nigerians from the same communities.
Adeleke Demands Arrest of Fadahunsi
Meanwhile, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has accused Fadahunsi of inciting violence and making what he described as a threat of “genocide” against members of the Accord Party.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Adeleke called for the immediate arrest and investigation of the senator, describing the alleged comments as a national security threat.
“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,” Adeleke said.
The governor disclosed that he had raised the matter with the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, and demanded Fadahunsi’s immediate investigation and arrest.
According to Adeleke, the IGP had confirmed the existence of the video and assured him that action would be taken.
The governor also called on the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate what he described as the illegal operations of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), alleging that Accord Party leaders had been arrested across local government areas without justification.
Adeleke urged the security agencies to act on the alleged threat, saying the matter should be handled in accordance with the rule of law.
The development has heightened political tensions in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, with both sides presenting sharply different interpretations of the viral video and the senator’s remarks.