Osun Election: Police Summon Senator Fadahunsi Over Viral ‘Kill Accord’ Threat

Osun Election: Police Summon Senator Fadahunsi Over Viral ‘Kill Accord’ Threat

The Osun State Police Command has summoned Senator Francis Fadahunsi over a viral video in which he allegedly directed supporters to “kill” members of the Accord Party, just days before Saturday’s governorship election. The senator insists his remarks were metaphorical, meaning defeat at the ballot box rather than physical violence.

The Osun State Police Command has officially summoned Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, to appear for questioning over his controversial remarks that have sparked widespread outrage ahead of the state’s governorship election. The senator, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), came under heavy criticism after a viral video surfaced showing him allegedly directing APC supporters to “kill” members of the rival Accord Party if encountered during the electoral process in parts of Ilesa.

The police invitation, contained in a letter dated August 11, 2026, ordered Fadahunsi to report to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Osogbo on Wednesday, August 12, at 11:00 am. The letter, signed by Samuel Etaifo Erale, the Commissioner of Police in charge of elections in Osun State, stated that the invitation was based on information indicating that the senator had made statements considered “threatening, inciting and intimidating in nature” during an APC campaign rally in Ilesa. The police noted that the comments had already been circulating widely on electronic and social media platforms.

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The summons came amid mounting political tension in Osun State as parties intensified their campaigns ahead of the August 15 governorship poll. The development also follows a pre-election security assessment by the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), which identified Osogbo and Ede South as the two most critical electoral security pressure points and recorded 73 election-related violent incidents and 29 fatalities within its assessment period. The report warned that 78 per cent of the election-related violence occurred between May and July 2026 as political campaigns intensified, with electoral violence becoming increasingly strategic and concentrated around party strongholds, campaign routes, and politically significant communities.

Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election under the banner of the Accord Party, had earlier called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Senator Fadahunsi over the alleged incitement to violence. Speaking at an emergency press briefing in Osogbo, Adeleke described the senator’s remarks as a “national security threat” and said he had escalated the matter directly to the Inspector-General of Police. The governor also raised concerns over alleged security crackdowns targeting Accord Party leaders, claiming that more than 62 of his party members remained in police detention without formal charges. He also specifically accused his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola, of using federal influence to intimidate his supporters, stating at an ARISE NEWS Town Hall meeting that “If you know that you can win, why are you arresting my people?”.

In a swift reaction to the backlash, Fadahunsi’s media office issued a statement clarifying that the senator’s comments were metaphorical and intended to encourage APC supporters to “kill” the Accord Party at the ballot box, rather than through physical violence. “The Senator’s statement was purely political and metaphorical,” the statement read, insisting that he had called for the defeat of Accord through lawful, peaceful, and democratic means during the election. The senator’s team also titled their clarification “Kill Osun Accord with Votes, Not Violence” to underscore their position. In a personally signed statement, Fadahunsi also claimed that the video was edited and manipulated to distort his remarks, insisting that he was referring to retaliation if alleged attacks on APC members continued.

The incident also drew the attention of Afrobeats singer Davido, who shared the video on social media with an English translation of the senator’s remarks, which reportedly stated, “From now on, whenever you see Accord members, kill them. I authorise you to kill them. They have wives and children too”.

Concerns over the election have also been raised by civil society organisations. Ahead of the election, the European Union-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) cohort members engaged the Inspector-General of Police, presenting a consolidated assessment that identified 13 of Osun State’s 30 Local Government Areas as high-risk, with 34 known fatalities across 44 incidents recorded between June 2025 and June 2026. Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, who spoke on behalf of the cohort, stressed that the Osun election carries significance beyond the state as the last major election before the 2027 general election, adding that “the credibility of the election will depend not only on the absence of violence, but also on public confidence that security institutions enforce electoral laws impartially”.

Amnesty International has also called on security agencies and the Nigerian government to be neutral and protect the rights of Osun State people to vote freely, amid escalating violence in the lead-up to the poll. The group said it had seen signals of looming danger, calling on the relevant authorities to ensure accountability and investigate the recorded incidents, including deaths, and bring the perpetrators to book. The group also noted that it had received reports of violence, arrests of Osun government officials, and alleged plans to influence the elections.

The development comes just days before the August 15 governorship election, amid heightened political tension and competing allegations by political parties over security, intimidation, and attempts to influence the outcome of the poll. The police are expected to question Fadahunsi over the circumstances surrounding his remarks and their potential implications for peace and security during the electoral process.

Osun Election: Police Summon Senator Fadahunsi Over Viral ‘Kill Accord’ Threat