By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Osun State Police Command has invited Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, for questioning over an alleged inflammatory statement made during an All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rally in Ilesa.
The senator reportedly came under scrutiny after a video from the campaign surfaced online, in which he was heard speaking in Yoruba and allegedly using the word “kill” while referring to supporters of the Accord Party.
The development comes just days before the August 15 Osun State governorship election, amid growing concerns over political violence and inflammatory rhetoric.
In a letter dated August 11, 2026, the Commissioner of Police, Elections, Osun State, Samuel Etaifo Erale, directed Fadahunsi to appear before the State Criminal Investigation Department in Osogbo at 11am on Wednesday.
The police said the invitation followed information received about statements allegedly made by the senator during the campaign.
According to the command, the remarks were considered potentially “threatening, inciting and intimidating” and had subsequently circulated across social media and other electronic platforms.
Fadahunsi’s camp has rejected the interpretation that the senator was calling for physical attacks against members of the Accord Party.
In a statement titled “Kill Osun Accord with Votes, Not Violence,” his team said the senator’s comment was political and metaphorical.
The statement explained that Fadahunsi was calling on APC supporters to defeat the Accord Party through their votes rather than through violence.
It said the senator’s message was an appeal to voters to “overwhelmingly reject the Accord Party at the ballot box through lawful, peaceful and democratic means.”
The controversy has added to the tense atmosphere surrounding the election, with rival political camps trading accusations ahead of the poll.
Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the Accord Party platform, has accused the APC of deploying thugs to attack his supporters. The APC has rejected the allegations.
With the election only days away, security agencies have continued to warn politicians and their supporters against comments or actions capable of triggering violence or disrupting the electoral process.
