The Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Francis Fadahunsi, has denied threatening members of the Accord Party and their families, insisting that a viral video allegedly portraying him as inciting violence ahead of Saturday’s governorship election was edited to distort his remarks.
Fadahunsi made the clarification on Wednesday after he was interrogated by the police at the Osun State Police Command headquarters in Osogbo over the controversial video.
The senator, who arrived at the command at about 2:35pm alongside the Commissioner of Police in charge of election and security, Samuel Erale, was questioned at the Criminal Investigation Department.
Speaking with journalists after the closed-door session, Fadahunsi said his controversial reference to “killing” was political language, which he used to describe defeating the Accord Party with votes at the August 15 poll.
He maintained that he was not advocating physical attacks on political opponents or their relatives.
Fadahunsi said, “We said, come Saturday, election, we will kill them with our votes.”
He argued that the full recording, which he said lasted about 38 minutes, would demonstrate that his remarks had been taken out of context.
According to him, the viral version was manipulated by people who deliberately misinterpreted his Yoruba expression.
The senator also accused unnamed individuals of attempting to exploit the controversy for political purposes, saying he would consider legal action after the police investigation.
Fadahunsi further alleged that members of the All Progressives Congress had been killed in parts of Osun, particularly Ilesa, describing the alleged attacks as an attempt to intimidate APC supporters and discourage them from voting.
The controversy erupted after a video circulated on social media in which the senator was allegedly heard directing his supporters to “kill” Accord Party members and their family members.
The allegation triggered condemnation from political leaders and rights groups as tension mounted ahead of Saturday’s election.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Tuesday accused Fadahunsi of inciting violence and what he described as “genocide” against members of the Accord Party.
Adeleke, whose administration is seeking another term at the election, called for a thorough investigation and demanded the immediate arrest of the senator, describing the alleged remarks as a national security threat.
Amnesty International also waded into the controversy on Wednesday, demanding accountability over the remarks attributed to Fadahunsi.
The rights organisation described the alleged statement as an attempt to incite violence ahead of the election and urged the authorities to act against any statement advocating violence.
The police, however, said the investigation remained ongoing.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu Okokon, confirmed that Fadahunsi had been interrogated and said the outcome of the investigation would be made public after its conclusion.
Okokon also assured residents that adequate security arrangements had been put in place to protect voters, election officials and other stakeholders during Saturday’s governorship election.
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