Senator representing Osun East, Francis Fadahunsi, has told the police that his controversial comment about “killing” members of the Accord Party referred to defeating the party with votes, rather than physically attacking its members or their families.
Fadahunsi made the clarification on Wednesday after he was interrogated at the Osun State Police Command headquarters in Osogbo over a viral video in which he was allegedly heard directing supporters to kill members of the party and their family members.
The senator arrived at the command at about 2:35 p.m. in the company of the Commissioner of Police in charge of election and security, Samuel Erale.
Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting with officers at the Criminal Investigation Department, Fadahunsi alleged that the video had been edited and that his remarks in Yoruba were deliberately misinterpreted.
He said his actual statement was that his supporters would “kill them with our votes” during the August 15 governorship election.
According to him, the full video was about 38 minutes long, suggesting that the viral clip did not present the complete context of his remarks.
Fadahunsi said, “We said, come Saturday, election, we will kill them with our votes. Go and look at the video; it is almost 38 minutes.”
He added that his words had been wrongly interpreted by what he described as “mischievous interpreters” of the Yoruba language.
“I have told them what I said, not the one manipulated by mischievous interpreters of our language. I am a Yoruba man. If an Igbo or Hausa woman is interpreting Yoruba to me, Yoruba means many things,” he said.
The senator also raised concerns over recent killings in his constituency, alleging that the incidents were intended to discourage voters from supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.
He said the remarks that triggered the police investigation were made while addressing allegations of APC supporters being killed by thugs in Ilesa and other parts of Osun State.
Fadahunsi’s invitation followed the circulation of the video, which prompted calls for investigation and accountability.
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke had on Tuesday accused the senator of inciting violence against Accord Party members and called for his investigation.
Adeleke also demanded Fadahunsi’s immediate arrest, describing the alleged comments as a potential national security threat.
Amnesty International also urged authorities to investigate the allegation and hold the senator accountable if found culpable.
In a post on its X handle on Wednesday, the organisation described the alleged remarks as capable of inciting violence ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Meanwhile, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu Okokon, confirmed that Fadahunsi had been interrogated and said the investigation was still ongoing.
Okokon said the outcome of the investigation would be made public after the process was concluded.
He also assured residents that adequate security measures had been put in place to protect voters and election officials during Saturday’s governorship election.
