Adeleke to IGP: Arrest, prosecute Osun senator over alleged inciting remarks

Says comments by the lawmaker capable of threatening peace of the state ahead of Saturday’s gov’ship poll

Fadahunsi backtracks, says “I meant ‘kill Accord’ with votes, not violence

By Mike Dike, Osogbo

Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tunde Disu, to arrest and prosecute the Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, for making inflammatory remarks during a protest over the recent killings in Ilesa.

Thus is even as fresh political tension has gripped Osun state following the circulation of the viral video allegedly showing Senator Francis Fadahunsi, making inflammatory remarks during a protest over the recent killings in Ilesa.

Gov Adeleke described the alleged comments as capable of threatening the peace of the state ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

Addressing an emergency press conference on Tuesday at the Government House, Osogbo, alongside his deputy, Prince Kola Adewusi, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, and his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke appealed for calm and assured residents that adequate security measures had been put in place.

The governor disclosed that he had spoken with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Olatunji Disu, on the need to ensure the safety of lives and property before, during and after the August 15 governorship election.

“I have spoken with the Inspector-General of Police to ensure that the people of Osun are adequately protected before, during and after the election,” Adeleke said.

He expressed concern that a serving senator was allegedly making statements capable of inciting violence, stressing that such conduct should not be tolerated in a democratic society

According to the governor, security agencies should investigate the viral video and take appropriate action in accordance with the law if the content is found to constitute incitement.

In the video circulating on social media, Senator Fadahunsi, speaking in Yoruba, was heard alleging attacks on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before reportedly declaring that any member of the Accord Party seen in Ilesa before the forthcoming governorship election would be killed.

The remarks have generated widespread reactions amid heightened political tension ahead of Saturday’s election.

The senator reportedly made the comments while leading APC leaders and supporters on a protest to the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adesuyi Haastrup, to register their grievances over what they described as the killing of APC supporters in Ijesaland.

The protest followed Monday night’s violent incident in the Imo area of Ilesa, where three persons were reportedly shot dead.

Meanwhile, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, the lawmaker representing the Osun East Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has clarified the intention behind his now-viral ‘Kill Accord’ comment currently circulating in a video on social media.

In the video, Fadahunsi was seen speaking in Yoruba and heard accusing Accord Party members of attacking members of APC, as he urged the gathering to attack Accord Party supporters in Ilesa.

He was also seen daring those present to record his remarks and share them on social media, while reportedly addressing APC supporters in Ilesa ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election.

However, in a statement by his media office in the state capital on Tuesday, titled ‘Kill Osun Accord with Votes, Not Violence, Senator Fadahunsi Tells APC,’ the senator said his viral comment was “a call on supporters to overwhelmingly reject the Accord Party at the ballot box through lawful, peaceful and democratic means during the August 15 governorship election.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Senator’s statement was purely political and metaphorical,” the statement added.

It noted that the comment didn’t portray the lawmaker as an advocate of violence against any member of the public or political party.

Fadahunsi urged the APC supporters to maintain law and order over the course of the election, as he called on security operatives to allow voters to exercise their constitutional rights.

“At no point did Senator Fadahunsi advocate violence, intimidation or any form of physical attack against members or supporters of the Accord Party or any other political party. His consistent position has always been that elections should be decided by the votes of the people and not by force.

“The Senator, therefore, urges political actors, party supporters and the electorate to conduct themselves peacefully before, during and after the election. He also calls on security agencies to remain professional and ensure that every eligible voter is able to exercise their constitutional right without fear or intimidation.

“Senator Fadahunsi remains committed to democratic values, issue-based campaigns and a credible electoral process. He believes that the will of the people, freely expressed through the ballot, must always prevail.

“We, therefore, appeal to members of the public not to misinterpret or deliberately distort the Senator’s comments, as they were clearly intended to encourage electoral victory through the power of the ballot and not through violence,” the statement concluded.