Commissioner of Police in charge of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, Samuel Etaifo, on Wednesday explained why the Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Francis Fadahunsi, was invited by the command following a comment he allegedly made at a protest rally.
Etaifo, in a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, in Osogbo, condemned the statement attributed to the lawmaker, in which he said any Accord Party member seen in Ilesa before Saturday’s governorship election should be killed.
The police commissioner added, “At this critical period of the electoral process, political leaders and public office holders are expected to exercise restraint, promote peace, and refrain from making comments capable of heightening tension or undermining public confidence in the electoral and security arrangements put in place for the forthcoming election.”
Reaffirming the commitment of the Force to neutrality, professionalism and the protection of democratic values, Etaifo emphasised that the police would not tolerate any act, utterance or conduct capable of inciting violence, disrupting public peace or threatening the security of the state.
“Consequently, the Commissioner of Police has invited Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi to provide clarification on the statement and to foster mutual understanding in the interest of peace and security,” he said.
But Etaifo reiterated that the invitation should not be misconstrued as an act of intimidation, but rather as part of proactive measures aimed at preventing the escalation of tensions and ensuring a peaceful, free, fair and credible governorship election in Osun State.
The police commissioner called on all political actors, their supporters and members of the public to remain law-abiding, avoid inflammatory rhetoric and channel their grievances through lawful means.
“The command remains committed to maintaining law and order before, during, and after the election and urges all stakeholders to place the peace and stability of Osun State above partisan interests,” the statement read partly.
Police in Osun summoned Fadahunsi, an APC lawmaker, over a threat he reportedly issued against members of the Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
State Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the development l on Wednesday.
Fadahunsi and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo Otin Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections, Francis Eniade, came under fire on Tuesday for allegedly issuing threats against Accord Party members ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
In a video that circulated on social media on Tuesday, Fadahunsi, who spoke in Yoruba, said any Accord member sighted in Ilesa, Osun State, before Saturday, when the election will hold, would be killed.
Sources at the scene where Fadahunsi made the controversial speech said the lawmaker spoke at the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland in Ilesa, during a protest organised against the alleged killing of three members of the All Progressives Congress in Ilesa on Tuesday.
Speaking in Yoruba, Fadahunsi said, “How many people have you seen the APC kill? We are here to tell you that until the day of the election, If we see any Accord member in Ilesa, we will kill him.”
In another viral video also obtained on Tuesday, Eniade, who was addressing a campaign rally, said no Accord member should come out to vote in Odo Otin Local Government Area on election day.
Eniade, who also spoke in Yoruba, said, “I was only waiting for today before I talked. I swear to God, anyone who is not an APC member should not come out on election day. If you said you won’t listen to us, we have warned you ahead. All the votes in Odo-Otin belong to the APC.
“Tell Egbedun (Osun House of Assembly Speaker) that I don’t have his time. I am his elder brother. Accord Party can’t vote in Odo-Otin. I am the one who said so. To the APC members, go back to your ward and unit and tell them that anybody who is not an APC member should not come out to vote.”
Reacting to Fadahunsi’s threat, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, while addressing journalists in Osogbo, demanded the lawmaker’s arrest, saying his utterances could lead to mass killing.
The governor said he had raised the matter with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and subsequently demanded Fadahunsi’s investigation and arrest, adding that the IGP confirmed the existence of the video and assured him of immediate action.
