Osun 2026: Fadahunsi Held For Hours Over Controversial Statement

The Osun State Police Command questioned Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who represents the Osun East Senatorial District, for more than two hours on Wednesday regarding an alleged inciting statement made prior to the governorship election on Saturday.

The Nation recalled that Governor Ademola Adeleke had demanded Fadahunsi’s arrest in response to a widely shared video purporting to show the senator saying, “kill any Accord member,” during a demonstration at the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland’s palace.

The protest came after 12 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were allegedly killed in Ilesa in less than a day. This incident increased political tension in the state prior to the election.

At around 2:25 p.m. on Wednesday, Fadahunsi and one of his assistants arrived at the Osun State Police Command and initially made their way to the Commissioner of Police’s office.

But along the way, he was stopped and taken to the Department of Criminal Investigation (CID), where he was taken, along with other senior police officers, into an investigation room by Samuel Erale Etifo, the Commissioner of Police in charge of election duty.

The senator spent approximately one hour and fifty-seven minutes in the investigation room, which was located in a different building from the Commissioner of Police’s office and was off-limits to journalists.

Addressing journalists after his release, the senator said he had honoured the police invitation and clarified the statement attributed to him.

He said, “I came here to honour the police invitation. We have met, and I told them what I said, not the one manipulated by the mischievous interpreters of the Yoruba language.

“I am a Yoruba man. If a Hausa or Igbo person is interpreting, it may not be correct. Yoruba means a lot of things. What I said was that between now and Saturday, we will kill them with our votes.”

“It is worrisome, but we have left the whole thing to the owner of life. Come Saturday, you will see a marvellous turnout for APC.”

Despite what he called intimidation by political thugs, Fadahunsi expressed confidence that APC members would turn out in large numbers to vote for the party’s governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO).

At approximately 4:58 p.m., he departed the police command center.

The police’s decision to question Fadahunsi for over two hours was a responsible move to seek clarification on his statement. By doing so, they demonstrated a commitment to understanding the full context and ensuring that any actions taken are based on accurate information. This thorough approach helps maintain transparency and upholds the rule of law, ultimately contributing to a more informed and peaceful resolution of the matter.