The political temperature in Osun rose sharply on Wednesday as Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, appeared at the state police headquarters in Osogbo over an alleged threat against members of the Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
Fadahunsi arrived at the command at about 2:35pm, accompanied by the Commissioner of Police in charge of election and security, Samuel Etaifo, following an invitation by the police authorities.
His appearance came less than 24 hours after a video attributed to the senator triggered widespread outrage across the state, with political actors and civil society groups demanding an investigation into remarks allegedly made against Accord supporters in Ilesa.
In the viral video circulated on social media on Tuesday, Fadahunsi, speaking in Yoruba, was alleged to have said that any Accord Party member sighted in Ilesa before Saturday’s election should be killed.
The allegation has transformed what was already a fiercely contested election into a growing security concern, particularly in a state where political campaigns have heightened tensions ahead of polling day.
The controversy also swept in Francis Eniade, the All Progressives Congress candidate for the Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Federal Constituency, following a separate video in which he was accused of making threatening remarks.
The development coincided with a fresh intervention by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, who disclosed that he had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, over the alleged threat attributed to Eniade.
Egbedun said the situation had moved beyond ordinary political exchanges, warning that inflammatory statements and threats could intimidate voters and undermine the credibility of Saturday’s poll.
The Speaker said he was particularly concerned that his name was allegedly mentioned in Eniade’s video alongside references to other eligible voters in the Ifelodun, Boripe and Odo-Otin Federal Constituency.
According to him, such conduct, if established, raises serious concerns about threats to life, voter intimidation and the promotion of political violence.
“No political ambition is worth the life of one Osun citizen.”
Egbedun insisted that neither political candidates nor their supporters had the right to create an atmosphere in which citizens were afraid to express their political preferences or approach polling units.
Fadahunsi’s appearance before the police has now shifted the controversy from the political arena to the security authorities, with attention turning to the senator’s response to the allegation and the outcome of the police inquiry.
The police invitation also comes at a critical moment, with only days left before voters across Osun go to the polls.
The allegations have placed political rhetoric under renewed scrutiny, particularly statements capable of being interpreted as threats against supporters of rival parties.
The immediate challenge for the security agencies is to establish the circumstances surrounding the viral video, determine what was actually said and whether the remarks constitute an offence under applicable law.
For political parties and candidates, the controversy presents an equally serious test: whether the final days of the campaign will be defined by competing political arguments or by threats capable of frightening voters away from the democratic process.
With Fadahunsi now at the police command and Egbedun’s petition before the IGP, the alleged threats have become one of the most closely watched security issues ahead of Saturday’s election.