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The Osun State Police Command has questioned Senator Francis Fadahunsi over a viral video in which he was alleged to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East Senatorial District, arrived at the command headquarters in Osogbo on Wednesday afternoon to respond to questions over the remarks attributed to him.
The police invitation followed the circulation of a video from a political gathering in which the senator was allegedly heard asking supporters to kill members of the Accord Party if they were seen in certain parts of the state during the electoral process.
The development came a day after Fadahunsi denied inciting violence over the video, saying his statement had been deliberately taken out of context.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the senator explained that his use of the word kill referred to defeating political opponents through votes.
“I told them this shows that they are weak and cannot win. They should shut them down by their votes; they should kill them by their votes.”
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Fadahunsi said he does not preach violence and maintained that he was addressing the political contest rather than calling for physical attacks.
The controversy had earlier prompted Governor Ademola Adeleke to ask the Inspector-General of Police to investigate and take action over the senator’s alleged comments. Channels Television reported that Adeleke requested that Fadahunsi be investigated over the viral video.
The governor had also called on security agencies to ensure that anyone found culpable of promoting violence ahead of the election was made to face the law.
The police subsequently invited Fadahunsi, saying the invitation was based on information that he had made statements considered “threatening, inciting and intimidating in nature” and that the statement had circulated across electronic and social media platforms.
Fadahunsi’s questioning comes amid heightened political tension in Osun ahead of the August 15 governorship election, with the police warning political actors against inflammatory statements capable of escalating violence.
The senator’s earlier denial remains central to the controversy, as he maintains that his remarks were a reference to defeating opponents at the ballot box, while the police investigate whether the viral clip constituted an inciting statement.
