By Gloria Drealomalicha
Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, has clarified his controversial ‘Kill Accord’ comment which went viral on social media, saying he was referring to defeating the Accord Party at the ballot box and not attacking its members.
A video circulating online showed Fadahunsi speaking in Yoruba while accusing members of the Accord Party of attacking supporters of the All Progressives Congress.
In the footage, the senator appeared to urge APC supporters in Ilesa to confront Accord supporters and was also heard challenging those present to record his remarks and share them on social media.
The comments were reportedly made while addressing APC supporters ahead of the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election.
However, in a statement issued by his media office in Osogbo on Tuesday, Fadahunsi said his remarks had been misunderstood and were intended as a political call for the APC to defeat the Accord Party through votes.
The statement, titled ‘Kill Osun Accord with Votes, Not Violence, Senator Fadahunsi Tells APC’, described the senator’s comment as “a call on supporters to overwhelmingly reject the Accord Party at the ballot box through lawful, peaceful and democratic means”.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Senator’s statement was purely political and metaphorical,” the statement said.
It maintained that Fadahunsi had not advocated violence against members or supporters of the Accord Party or any other political group.
“At no point did Senator Fadahunsi advocate violence, intimidation or any form of physical attack against members or supporters of the Accord Party or any other political party,” the statement added.
According to the senator’s media office, his position has consistently been that electoral contests should be decided by voters rather than through intimidation or force.
Fadahunsi subsequently urged APC supporters and other political actors to maintain peace before, during and after the election.
He also called on security agencies to remain professional and ensure that eligible voters could exercise their constitutional rights without fear or intimidation.
The statement said, “The Senator, therefore, urges political actors, party supporters and the electorate to conduct themselves peacefully before, during and after the election.
“He also calls on security agencies to remain professional and ensure that every eligible voter is able to exercise their constitutional right without fear or intimidation.”
Fadahunsi further reaffirmed his commitment to democratic values, issue-based campaigns and a credible electoral process, stressing that the will of the people should prevail through the ballot.
“We, therefore, appeal to members of the public not to misinterpret or deliberately distort the Senator’s comments, as they were clearly intended to encourage electoral victory through the power of the ballot and not through violence,” the statement concluded.
The clarification came amid growing political tension ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
In a related development, the campaign council of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke had called on the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to investigate Fadahunsi’s remarks and take appropriate action over what it described as comments against members of the Accord Party.
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