By John Dike, Osogbo
Osun State Police Command on Wednesday questioned the Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, for more than two hours over an alleged inciting statement linked to a viral video ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The police invitation followed growing controversy surrounding a video in which the senator was alleged to have made inflammatory remarks during a protest at the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland.
Governor Ademola Adeleke had earlier called for Fadahunsi’s arrest after the video surfaced online, alleging that the senator was heard urging supporters to “kill any Accord member.”
The protest came in the wake of the alleged killing of 12 All Progressives Congress (APC) members within 24 hours in Ilesa, an incident that further heightened political tension in the state ahead of the election.
However, Senator Fadahunsi denied making the statement attributed to him, insisting that his remarks had been deliberately twisted.
According to him, what he actually said was that APC supporters should “kill the Accord Party with their votes,” maintaining that the statement was figurative and referred solely to defeating the ruling party at the polls.
The senator also alleged that more than 40 APC members had been killed in Osun East Senatorial District within the past year.
He disclosed that he received the police invitation on Tuesday after the video went viral and honoured it on Wednesday.
Fadahunsi arrived at the Osun State Police Command headquarters in Osogbo at about 2:25 p.m., accompanied by one of his aides.
He initially headed towards the office of the Commissioner of Police but was redirected to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
He was led into the investigation room by the Commissioner of Police in charge of election duty, Samuel Erale Etifo, alongside other senior police officers.
Journalists were not allowed into the investigation room, where the senator spent approximately one hour and 57 minutes answering questions.
He was later taken briefly to the office of the Commissioner of Police before returning to the CID to conclude the interrogation.
During the session, the senator was joined by former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Adebayo Adeleke, and legal practitioner Edmund Biriomoni.
Following the interrogation, the police released the senator without announcing any immediate further action.
Speaking with journalists after his release, Fadahunsi said he honoured the police invitation to clarify what he described as a deliberate misrepresentation of his comments.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
.
The two-term senator also expressed concern over what he described as the deteriorating security situation in Osun East Senatorial District.
He alleged that Governor Ademola Adeleke had turned the district into a battleground while his hometown remained peaceful.
“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,” he said.
.
Fadahunsi further expressed confidence that APC supporters would come out in large numbers to vote for the party’s governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), despite what he described as intimidation by political thugs.
The senator departed the Osun State Police Command headquarters at about 4:58 p.m. after completing the police interview.
