By Opeyemi Adelakun
Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has called on the United States, United Kingdom and Canada to impose sanctions on Senator Francis Fadaunsi over his alleged threat against members of the Accord Party ahead of the Osun State governorship election.
Adeyanju said he had petitioned the three countries, urging them to consider visa restrictions and other appropriate measures against the senator over remarks he described as a threat to political opponents.
The call comes amid heightened political activities in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, Adeyanju said Fadaunsi’s alleged comments were troubling and could encourage violence against supporters of the Accord Party.
“Again, that takes me to the unfortunate remarks that we’ve just heard of Senator Fadaunsi, very regrettably threatening that members of the Accord Party be killed,” Adeyanju said.
He further alleged that the senator’s comments amounted to an attempt to incite attacks against members of the opposition party.
Adeyanju said he considered the alleged remarks particularly serious because of the potential consequences for an election already characterised by intense political rivalry.
According to him, the United States and other Western governments have consistently expressed concern about electoral violence and the need to protect democratic participation in Nigeria.
He said his petition was aimed at bringing the alleged comments to the attention of the governments concerned and seeking possible action against the senator.
The lawyer also expressed concern over the level of tension surrounding the Osun election, saying the situation had become unusually volatile.
“For a very long time, we’ve not witnessed this level of violence preceding an election,” he said.
Adeyanju urged the leading candidates and their supporters to reject violence and allow voters to freely determine the outcome of the poll.
Adeyanju Rates Osun Candidates
Beyond the controversy surrounding Fadaunsi, Adeyanju also assessed the performances of major candidates during the recent Arise Town Hall session on the Osun governorship election.
He criticised the African Democratic Congress candidate, saying he was not convinced by what he described as broad campaign promises that lacked sufficient details on implementation.
Adeyanju, however, praised the All Progressives Congress candidate for what he described as a more combative performance during the debate.
He said the APC candidate effectively challenged the incumbent governor and raised questions about the management of state resources.
The lawyer rated Governor Ademola Adeleke’s performance highest, saying the governor made efforts to account for projects executed by his administration.
Adeyanju gave Adeleke a 60/40 advantage over the APC candidate in his assessment of the town hall performance.
He also noted that Adeleke raised allegations of infractions involving the APC, some of which, he said, had already generated discussions on social media.
The Osun governorship election is scheduled for August 15, 2026, with security, political rhetoric and the conduct of the major parties expected to remain under close scrutiny as voters prepare to head to the polls.
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