Senator representing Osun East, Francis Fadahunsi, has stated that a viral video that alleged that he encouraged his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party and their family members was modified to misrepresent his comment.
Fadahunsi spoke yesterday after being questioned by the police at the Osun State Police Command headquarters in Osogbo over the controversial video, Channels TV reports.
The senator said after a closed-door meeting with the police at the Command’s Criminal Investigation Department that he was talking of using votes to “kill” the Accord Party in the August 15 governorship election, not physically attacking its members or their families. Campaigns and Elections
“Well, we have met and I told them what I said, not the one that mischievous interpreters of our language have manipulated. I am Yoruba dude. Yoruba implies several things when an Igbo or Hausa woman is translating it for me. We said come Saturday, election, we will destroy them with our ballots. Go and check out the video. It’s almost 38 minutes.
“A mischievous man, I don’t know where it comes from, whether it’s on drugs or where, misunderstood from somebody’s blog. So we will wait after this to see what we can do legally to search,” Fadahunsi said.
He also condemned the recent killings in his area, saying the killings were meant to scare voters away from voting for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.
He said he was responding to what he called the continuing slaughter of APC members in Ilesa and other parts of the state by purported thugs.
The senator had arrived to the Osun State Police Command headquarters with the Commissioner of Police Election and Security, Samuel Erale at about 2:35 p.m. Campaigns and Elections
It followed a viral video in which Fadahunsi, who was speaking in Yoruba, was reported to have told his fans to kill members of the Accord Party and their family members.
On Tuesday, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke had accused Fadahunsi of encouraging violence and “genocide” against members of the Accord Party whose governorship candidate is the incumbent governor.
Adeleke urged the “immediate arrest” of the politician and called for a full inquiry, calling the alleged remarks as a “national security threat”.
Amnesty International also asked the authorities to hold Fadahunsi accountable yesterday for allegedly “instructing his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party ahead of the state’s August 15 governorship election”.
The rights group said in a post on its X handle that the comments attributed to the APC lawmaker were “deliberate and only meant to provoke a bloody poll in Osun State”.
The authorities have to promptly condemn any declaration – live, online or otherwise – which promotes violence.
“It said that Senator Fadahunsi must be made to answer.”
But in contrast, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu Okokon, stated that the police had quizzed Fadahunsi and that investigation into the case was ongoing.
He stated the results of the probe would be released when it was concluded.
Okokon also informed people that Osun State was still safe and necessary security measures had been put in place to secure voters and poll officials during Saturday’s governorship election. Campaigns & Elections Magazine
About the Author
