By Jeremy Fregene
The senator representing Osun East, Francis Fadahunsi, has been granted administrative bail by the Osun State Police Command after honouring an invitation over his controversial remarks urging supporters to “kill Accord” Party members ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The development came as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, warned that elections must not be turned into warfare, urging security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Federal Government to ensure a peaceful, free and transparent poll in Osun.
Fadahunsi had reported to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Osogbo on Wednesday in response to a police invitation following the circulation of a viral video in which he allegedly urged supporters, while speaking in Yoruba during a political gathering in Ilesa, to kill members of the Accord Party.
The remarks sparked widespread outrage, prompting the senator to later claim that his comments had been misinterpreted.
After several hours of interrogation, the senator was released on administrative bail.
The spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed that Fadahunsi had been granted bail while investigations into the matter would continue.
The police had, in an invitation dated August 11, asked the senator to explain the circumstances surrounding statements allegedly made during an APC campaign event in Ilesa.
The invitation, signed by the Commissioner of Police in charge of election security in Osun, Samuel Etaifo Erale, stated that the senator’s comments were considered threatening, inciting, and intimidating, adding that the video had already gone viral across electronic and social media platforms.
The police stressed that the invitation formed part of efforts to maintain law and order ahead of the governorship election.
Reacting to the tense political atmosphere in the state, Atiku used his address at the 2026 National Youth Leadership Summit of the ADC in Abuja to caution against what he described as the militarisation of the electoral process.
The former Vice President said the scale and posture of security deployment in Osun created the impression that Nigeria was preparing for war rather than conducting a democratic election.
“What we are witnessing in the build-up to that election is deeply troubling,” Atiku said.
“Elections are civil engagements, not military operations. Ballot papers are not bullets. Voters are not enemy combatants. Opposition members are not insurgents.”
He questioned why the same level of security presence allegedly planned for the election had not been deployed against terrorists, kidnappers, and bandits who continue to attack communities across the country.
“If Nigeria possesses this enormous security capacity, Nigerians are entitled to ask why the same overwhelming force is not being deployed against terrorists, kidnappers, and bandits who are killing our people and driving citizens from their communities,” he said.
Atiku urged security agencies to protect voters rather than intimidate them and called on INEC to ensure there were no unexplained delays, technical glitches, or manipulation of the electoral process.
He insisted that election materials must arrive promptly, accredited voters must be allowed to cast their ballots freely, votes must be counted honestly and results transmitted transparently in accordance with the law.
The ADC presidential candidate also urged President Bola Tinubu to resist any attempt to use state institutions for partisan advantage.
“The police belong to Nigeria. The military belongs to Nigeria. INEC belongs to the Nigerian people. None of them belongs to the APC,” he declared.
According to Atiku, the credibility of Saturday’s election would have far-reaching implications for public confidence in the 2027 general election.
“If our institutions cannot conduct a free, fair, peaceful and transparent election in one state, Nigerians will legitimately ask what confidence they should have in the general election next year,” he said.
He concluded with an appeal to electoral authorities and security agencies to allow the democratic process to prevail.
“Let the people vote. Let every vote count. And let the will of the people prevail.”
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