Osun Election: Expel Fadahunsi, Other APC Members Inciting Violence, Adebayo Tells Ruling Party

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to expel Senator Francis Fadahunsi and other members accused of using violent rhetoric ahead of the Osun State governorship election.

Adebayo said the APC would be collectively responsible for the actions of its members if the party failed to sanction individuals making threats or promoting violence ahead of Saturday’s election.

He made the remarks while appearing on Arise News on Thursday, following a viral video in which Fadahunsi, the senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, was allegedly heard threatening members of the Accord Party.

Adebayo condemned Fadahunsi’s alleged remarks as well as the broader use of violent language in political discourse.

“I condemn the statement attributed to the senator and I condemn the general use of violence, and violence in public life includes violent language,” he said.

“Because an individual committing an act of violence is bad on its own and is against the law. But promoting violence among supporters or among groups is even worse.”

The SDP presidential candidate drew a comparison with the 1994 Rwandan genocide, arguing that individuals who use inflammatory language can contribute to violence even when they do not personally participate in killings.

“If you recall what happened in Rwanda, most of those who contributed to the genocide did not actually use their own hand to kill anyone,” Adebayo said.

“But by calling other people cockroaches, that they need to be eliminated, and things like that, then they would be responsible for inciting the killing of thousands.”

He urged President Bola Tinubu, who is also the leader of the APC, to publicly condemn violent rhetoric and make it clear to party supporters that political victory cannot be pursued through violence.

Adebayo said, “I call on President Bola Tinubu to be a responsible head of state, to be a responsible party leader, and to make sure that all across Nigeria that he sends a signal to his supporters that all is not fair in politics, and all is not fair even in war.”

He cited the Geneva Conventions to argue that even warfare has limits, stressing that political competition should have even stricter boundaries.

“If you look at the Geneva Convention, it is to put a stop to the saying that all is fair in war. Even in warfare, there’s a limit. Not to talk of politics,” he said.

According to Adebayo, politicians making inflammatory statements could be attempting to impress the President by interpreting his political directives as a licence to use any means necessary to win elections.

Adebayo also referenced former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s controversial “do or die” description of politics, recalling the condemnation that followed the statement.

He argued that President Tinubu must avoid creating an environment where political actors believe they have presidential backing to deploy intimidation or violence.

“I, as a president of Nigeria, I will never promote violence,” Adebayo said.

“I will be the first to condemn it. And I will expel anyone from my party or support group who has any hint of violence. So, I expect the APC to expel Fadahunsi and any of these people.”

He warned that failure by the APC to sanction members accused of promoting violence would make the party collectively responsible for their conduct.

“If they don’t, they are collectively responsible,” he said.

His comments came after Fadahunsi was invited by the Osun State Police Command over the viral video in which he was heard calling on supporters to kill members of the Accord Party ahead of the election.

The police had directed Fadahunsi to appear before the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Osogbo to clarify the circumstances surrounding the alleged remarks. Fadahunsi subsequently honoured the invitation and later left the police facility.

The police said the invitation was based on information concerning statements considered “threatening, inciting and intimidating” and which had circulated across social and electronic media platforms.

Adebayo also called on the police to move beyond questioning the senator and ensure that appropriate legal action is taken where necessary.

“As for the police, they don’t need to tell us what they are doing. We just need to see the man in court,” he said.

“That is how you know that you are actually taking action.”

He expressed concern about the security situation in Osun, claiming that more than 40 people had lost their lives in violence across the state.

“And in Osun State in particular, more than 40 people have lost their lives. The body count keeps going up from all parts of the state. And that is not a joke,” Adebayo said.

He warned that inflammatory political language should not be dismissed as mere rhetoric in a state already experiencing political tensions.

“There is no metaphor that can explain that in a setting that is already tense, people are losing their lives,” he said.

Adebayo further referenced the history of political violence in the region, including the circumstances surrounding the killing of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bola Ige.

He urged political actors to learn from Nigeria’s history and avoid rhetoric capable of escalating tensions ahead of the election.

“We need to be careful,” he said.

The SDP presidential candidate again called on Tinubu to publicly warn members and supporters of his party against thuggery, intimidation and violent language, particularly as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections gather momentum.

“The President of Nigeria needs to be responsible. He needs to be a serious adult in the room and talk to his people that thuggery, bad language, violence will not be tolerated, especially as we are heading toward 2027,” he said.

He stressed that Nigerians must be allowed to participate freely in elections without fear of intimidation.

He also warned that threats of violence could provoke retaliation from political opponents and turn elections into violent confrontations.

“And violence begets violence, because when you say, go and kill so-and-so people, what if they, too, decide to defend themselves and say they will kill you?” he asked.

“That is how election becomes warfare.”

Adebayo criticised the practice of political parties signing peace agreements while their supporters continue to use inflammatory language and allegedly engage in intimidation and vote buying.

“There is no point going around signing peace accord like they did in Osun, or peace accord like we did in our time, and you follow the peace accord with non-peaceful language, non-peaceful method, or fair system, rigging, vote buying, and all kinds of intimidation,” he said.

“We will not allow that.”

The Osun governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, with the APC’s Bola Oyebamiji, Accord’s incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke and other candidates in the race.