The police in Osun State have summoned Francis Fadahunsi, the senator representing Osun East, over the comments he made during a rally asking supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to “kill” members of the rival Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
PREMIUM TIMES reported on Tuesday that Mr Fadahunsi during a protest at the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland in Ilesa over alleged incessant killings of the APC members in Ijesaland, directed party members to retaliate by the kill with the rival part Accord.
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In the video which circulated online, the senator, who was accompanied by other All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, accused Accord Party members of killing people in Ilesa.
“The cap they wear – it is Yellow Fever cap, it is the cap of an animal,” Mr Fadahunsi said, referring to Accord Party’s yellow brand.
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“It is animal that kills. Have you ever heard that APC killed anyone? Are those being killed not your people?” Mr Fadahunsi said.
“So, we have come to tell you, up till the day of the election, if we see them, it is killing.”
The statement came a day after three people were killed in a shooting in the Imo area of Ilesa in Osun State, amid heightened political tension in the community ahead of the 15 August governorship election.
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However, the Osun State Police Command has ordered the senator to appear before the State Criminal Investigation Department in Osogbo at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, following the controversial statement he was caught saying in a video clip capturing moments when he was addressing the rally in Ilesa.
The video clip circulated on social media intensifying growing concerns about political violence ahead of Saturday’s election.
According to The Cable, the invitation, dated 11 August (Wednesday) and signed by Samuel Erale Etaifo, the Commissioner of Police overseeing the Osun State election, said the police required Mr Fadahunsi to clarify the circumstances surrounding the statement, which it described as potentially “threatening, inciting and intimidating.”
“The invitation is premised on information in possession of the Nigeria Police alleging that during your address at the aforementioned programme, you made statements considered to be threatening, inciting and intimidating in nature, and the statement has already been in circulation on various electronic and social media platforms,” the statement reads.
‘I meant shut them down with votes’
In the video that triggered public outrage, Fadahunsi, speaking in Yoruba, was heard telling APC supporters to “kill” members of the Accord Party whenever they encountered them, prompting condemnation and renewed concerns about political violence ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
However, during a live programme on Channels Television, Mr Fadahunsi said the remark was political and metaphorical, insisting that he was urging his supporters to defeat Accord at the ballot box rather than attack its members physically.
He also linked his remarks to a series of violent incidents he said had affected members of his community and party, alleging that more than 11 people had been killed and several others wounded between Monday night and Tuesday.
“Last night till today, we’ve recorded more than 11 dead people, several are wounded by this same group, and they are all members of my community, they are all members of my party, and they are all my constituents,” he said.
Mr Fadahunsi said his repeated complaints to the police had not produced the response he expected, alleging that suspects arrested over the incidents were being released on bail.
He said the situation compelled him to lead residents to the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland to protest the insecurity in the community.
“I had to lead my people to the palace. I cannot sit down while the governor is terrorising my community,” he said.
Explaining the controversial statement, Mr Fadahunsi said it was wrong to interpret his Yoruba remarks literally.
“If you listen to me very well, I didn’t say it in English, so you cannot interpret it in English. I told them that this shows that they are weak, this shows that they cannot win. They should shut them down with their votes.”
The senator’s media office also explained in a statement on Tuesday that his 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.”
The police invitation comes against the backdrop of heightened political tensions and reported killings, shootings and clashes involving supporters of rival parties in several parts of Osun ahead of Saturday’s election.
The development is also significant as Mr Fadahunsi is a serving senator and a prominent APC figure in Osun East, while Ilesa and adjoining communities have emerged as areas of concern in the build-up to the election.
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