Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, has issued a clarification in Osogbo, Osun State, on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, saying his controversial “kill Accord” remark referred to defeating the Accord Party with votes rather than violence, three days before the state’s governorship election.

The clarification followed the circulation of a video showing Fadahunsi addressing All Progressives Congress supporters in Ilesa, where his remarks were widely interpreted as an instruction to attack members of the rival Accord Party.

Also read: Osun Election: Police summon Fadahunsi over ‘kill’ threat

The controversy has since escalated beyond political criticism, with the Osun State Police Command summoning Fadahunsi to explain the circumstances surrounding the statement.

In a statement issued through his media office, Fadahunsi said the remark was intended as political language directed at the ballot box.

His team described it as “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.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Senator’s statement was purely political and metaphorical,” the statement said.

The senator’s clarification also sought to draw a clear line between political competition and physical confrontation.

“At no point did Senator Fadahunsi advocate violence, intimidation or any form of physical attack against members or supporters of the Accord Party or any other political party,” his media office said.

The explanation came after the police had already taken an interest in the matter.

According to TheCable, the Osun State Police Command summoned Fadahunsi in a letter dated August 11, asking him to appear before the State Criminal Investigation Department in Osogbo at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday to clarify the circumstances surrounding the remarks.

The police said the invitation followed information alleging that the senator had made statements considered threatening, inciting and intimidating, with the video subsequently circulating across social media platforms.

The dispute centres on the interpretation of Fadahunsi’s comments at an APC campaign gathering in Ilesa.

The footage, which was recorded in Yoruba, generated considerable backlash online and prompted demands for an investigation.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the Accord platform, has taken a particularly strong position on the matter.

Adeleke called on Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu to investigate and prosecute Fadahunsi, describing the alleged comments as a serious security concern ahead of the election.

“This is now beyond politics. This is now a national security threat,” Adeleke said while speaking to journalists at the Osun State Government House in Osogbo.

Adeleke also alleged that the remarks went beyond political opponents and extended to their families, and he urged the police and Department of State Services to investigate what he described as incitement against people in Ijesaland and Osun State.

Fadahunsi’s clarification therefore comes at a particularly sensitive moment in Osun’s political calendar.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the governorship election for Saturday, August 15, with Adeleke seeking another term and APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji among those challenging him.

INEC has also been preparing observer groups and other stakeholders for the poll.

The election is expected to be closely watched because of the political contest between the incumbent Accord administration and the APC, alongside other parties seeking to make gains in the state.

For the senator, the immediate priority is to establish that his choice of words was political rather than an endorsement of violence.

That distinction is important in an election period when inflammatory language can heighten tensions among party supporters, particularly where accusations of intimidation and attacks are already circulating.

Fadahunsi has consequently urged political actors and voters to maintain peace before, during and after the election, while calling on security agencies to protect voters and ensure that citizens can exercise their rights freely.

The police investigation now adds another layer to the controversy. The summons does not, in itself, establish that Fadahunsi committed an offence, but it places his explanation within a formal security inquiry over the remarks.

For voters in Osun, the episode has also revived the importance of restraint in the final days of campaigning.

With election day only days away, the competing parties are seeking support at the ballot box while security agencies face the task of preventing political disagreements from spilling into violence.

Fadahunsi’s latest position is that his words were intended to urge an electoral defeat of Accord, not a physical attack on its members.

Whether that explanation settles the controversy will depend partly on the outcome of the police inquiry and how the wider political community responds to the remarks.