The governor’s campaign council says the senator’s alleged remarks threaten peaceful voting, while Fadahunsi says his comments were metaphorical

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s campaign council on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, called on Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu to investigate a viral video involving Senator Francis Fadahunsi and alleged remarks against Accord Party supporters ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

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The campaign council said the video, reportedly recorded in Ilesa, contained comments that could heighten political tension and threaten the peaceful conduct of Saturday’s poll.

Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East Senatorial District, was reportedly addressing supporters of the All Progressives Congress when he made the remarks captured in the circulating footage.

The Adeleke campaign council said the senator, speaking in Yoruba, appeared to accuse Accord Party members of attacking APC supporters before urging those present to retaliate against Accord supporters in Ilesa.

The video has since generated controversy online, with calls for the police to examine the remarks and determine whether they amount to an incitement to violence.

Pelumi Olajengbesi, spokesperson for the Adeleke campaign council, described the alleged comments as a serious threat ahead of the election and urged the police to intervene.

“This is a serious threat to lives and the peaceful conduct of the August 15 election,” Olajengbesi said.

“Mr Inspector-General of Police, this must be addressed immediately. Nobody has the right to kill an Accord member or any citizen. Nobody has the right to stop Osun people from voting. Enough is enough!”

The appeal comes at a sensitive point in the Osun election campaign, with political parties intensifying their mobilisation ahead of polling day.

Recent reporting has highlighted concerns over election-related violence in the state.

A security assessment cited by The Guardian identified 73 election-related violent incidents resulting in 29 deaths ahead of the August 15 poll.

The controversy has also drawn reactions from members of the public on social media.

An Osun indigene, Wale Akintoye, questioned why the police had not acted on the remarks, describing the alleged comments as a threat to citizens.

Another social media user, Adenike Bekky, said political differences should not be allowed to become grounds for threatening opponents.

“Why should anyone be threatened or harmed simply because they chose not to decamp with you?” she said.

“Politics should never be a matter of life and death. We cannot all face the same direction, and political differences should never be a reason to threaten the lives of citizens.”

Fadahunsi has since offered a different interpretation of the remarks.

The senator said his comments were political and metaphorical rather than a call for physical violence. He said he was urging APC supporters to decisively reject the Accord Party through their votes at the August 15 election.

That explanation has not ended the calls for an investigation, with the Adeleke campaign council maintaining that the police should establish the context and implications of the remarks.

The dispute comes as the Nigeria Police Force prepares to oversee security around an election that has attracted heightened political attention.

Disu has been Inspector-General of Police since March 2026, after the Nigeria Police Council ratified his appointment and President Bola Tinubu formally swore him into office.

The police leadership has previously emphasised stronger coordination and prompt responses to emerging security threats.

In June, Disu ordered the deployment of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police to the country’s geopolitical zones and directed inter-state patrols as part of efforts to strengthen security coordination.

For Osun, the immediate concern is whether inflammatory political rhetoric could translate into intimidation or violence at a time when parties are seeking to mobilise supporters across the state.

The August 15 election is expected to pit incumbent Governor Adeleke against the APC candidate and other contenders, with the campaign period already marked by competing allegations over political conduct and security.

The Fadahunsi controversy therefore places renewed attention on the responsibility of political actors to ensure that campaign rhetoric does not undermine voters’ ability to participate freely.

While the senator maintains that his words were intended as a metaphor for overwhelming the Accord Party at the ballot box, the Adeleke campaign council wants law enforcement authorities to determine whether the language crossed the line into an actionable threat.

With only days remaining before voting, the outcome of any police response could carry significance beyond the senator himself.

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It could also send a broader signal about how seriously threats and inflammatory statements will be treated as Osun moves towards a closely watched governorship election.