The Osun State Police Command has summoned Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East in the Senate, over an alleged threat issued against members of the Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the development on Wednesday during a telephone interview, saying the lawmaker had been summoned by the Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, 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 summons followed a viral video in which Fadahunsi, who spoke in Yoruba, was alleged to have threatened members of the Accord Party in Ilesa ahead of the August 15 governorship poll.
In the video, the senator reportedly said any Accord member seen in Ilesa before election day would be killed.
“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,” he was heard saying.
Sources who spoke about the incident said the senator made the remarks at the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland in Ilesa during a protest over the alleged killing of three All Progressives Congress members in the town on Tuesday.
The development has generated concern ahead of the election, with political leaders and stakeholders warning against inflammatory statements capable of escalating tensions in the state.
The controversy also involves Francis Eniade, the APC candidate for the Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo Otin Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections.
In another video circulated on social media, Eniade was heard allegedly warning non-APC members against coming out to vote in Odo Otin Local Government Area on election day.
“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,” he reportedly said.
He also declared that Accord Party members would not be allowed to vote in the local government area and urged APC supporters to return to their respective wards and polling units to deliver the message.
“Accord Party can’t vote in Odo-Otin. I am the one who said so,” Eniade reportedly added.
The statements have attracted condemnation from Governor Ademola Adeleke, who called for the arrest and investigation of Fadahunsi over the alleged threat.
Speaking with journalists in Osogbo, Adeleke described the senator’s alleged comments as beyond ordinary political rhetoric, warning that such statements could trigger violence and mass killings.
“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,” Adeleke said.
According to the governor, the senator allegedly threatened that where Accord Party leaders could not be found, their wives and children should be targeted.
Adeleke said he had raised the matter with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and requested Fadahunsi’s investigation and arrest.
He said the IGP confirmed that the video existed and assured him that immediate action would be taken.
“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.
Fadahunsi Denies Threat, Blames Edited Video
Fadahunsi has, however, denied that he issued a direct threat to Accord Party members, arguing that his remarks were taken out of context and deliberately manipulated.
In a statement personally signed by him, the senator said his attention had been drawn to an edited video allegedly circulated by singer Davido on TikTok and lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi on other social media platforms.
Fadahunsi said his comments were made in the context of killings allegedly involving members of rival groups and were intended to warn that his party would defend its members if further attacks occurred.
He said he had referred to a person identified as Rogba, who was allegedly killed in Esa-Oke by fellow cultists.
According to him, his position was that continued killings would provoke retaliation.
“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,” he said.
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Fadahunsi maintained that he did not call for the indiscriminate killing of Accord members, their families or supporters, describing the circulating clip as a deliberate attempt to portray him negatively.
He accused those circulating the video of extracting less than two minutes from a speech that lasted about 24 minutes.
“This is a clear case of deliberate misrepresentation and manipulation,” he said.
The senator also maintained that his reference to retaliation was linked to the need to protect APC members in the event of further violence.
The police summons comes as security agencies intensify preparations for Saturday’s Osun governorship election, amid heightened political tension and warnings against violence, intimidation and other electoral offences.
The Nigeria Police Force had earlier warned political parties, candidates and supporters against thuggery, voter intimidation, vote buying and the deployment of unauthorised security groups during the election.
The Osun State governorship election is scheduled to take place across the state’s 30 Local Government Areas on Saturday, August 15.
With the police now investigating the alleged comments attributed to Fadahunsi, attention is expected to focus on whether the senator’s remarks amounted to an offence under Nigeria’s electoral and criminal laws.