Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to hold the Senator representing Osun East in the National Assembly, Francis Fadahunsi, accountable over alleged comments directing his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.
The human rights organisation made the demand in a post on its 𝕏 handle, where it described the alleged remarks by the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker as reckless and capable of fuelling violence during the election.
Amnesty said the comments were “deliberate and solely aimed at inciting a bloody poll in Osun State.”
The organisation said Fadahunsi was captured on video during a campaign allegedly instructing his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns Francis Fadahunsi (APC), senator representing the Osun East senatorial district, who was on video during a campaign, instructing his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party ahead of the state’s August 15 governorship election,” the organisation stated.
It added, “Senator Fadahunsi’s reckless remarks were deliberate and solely aimed at inciting a bloody poll in Osun state.”
Amnesty International further reminded the Nigerian authorities of their responsibility to prevent statements capable of encouraging violence.
“The authorities must urgently denounce any statements, live, online or otherwise, which advocate violence.
“Senator Fadahunsi must be held accountable,” it added.
The development followed a viral video in which Fadahunsi was alleged to have directed his supporters to take action against members of the Accord Party, whose governorship candidate is the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke.
Adeleke, while addressing a press conference on Tuesday, accused the senator of inciting violence and what he described as “genocide” against members of the Accord Party.
The governor called for a thorough investigation of the senator’s alleged remarks, saying urgent steps were needed to prevent the threats from becoming reality.
Adeleke also demanded the “immediate arrest” of Fadahunsi, describing the alleged statement as a “national security threat.”
“This is now beyond politics. This is now a national security threat that requires the attention of Mr President through the office of the National Security Adviser,” Adeleke said.
“I have raised this issue with the IGP and demanded the immediate investigation and arrest of Senator Fadahunsi. The IGP has confirmed the video and assured me of immediate action,” he added.
Adeleke also called on the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate what he described as illegal operations allegedly targeting Accord Party leaders across the state.
“We request that the IGP should stop the illegal operations of IRT, a team that has been arresting Accord Party leaders across the local governments for no just reason,” the governor said.
He added, “We ask that the police and the DSS immediately arrest Senator Fadahunsi for his incitement to genocide against the people of Ijesahland and Osun State. This is to prove to the world that Nigeria is a state governed by the rule of law.”
Fadahunsi, however, rejected the allegation that he was inciting violence or calling on his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party.
The senator said the video circulating on social media had been deliberately edited to change the meaning of his statement.
According to him, he was responding to alleged attacks and killings of APC members in Ilesa and warning that his party would defend its members if the alleged violence continued.
“The video was deliberately edited to distort what I actually said. What I said was that if the alleged killing of our party members by Accord Party thugs does not stop, our party will retaliate,” Fadahunsi said.
He explained that his remarks were made in response to what he described as continued attacks against APC supporters in Ilesa and other parts of Osun State.
“I was referring to the continued violence and attacks against our members in Ilesa and other parts of the state,” he added.
The senator maintained that his statement was a warning against further attacks on APC supporters and not a directive to kill members of another political party.
“My statement was very clear: if the killings do not stop, we shall also retaliate. We are here to lodge complaints and demand justice,” Fadahunsi said.
He added, “It is unacceptable for human beings to kill fellow human beings the way our members are allegedly being killed in Ilesa.”
The controversy comes at a sensitive period in Osun State, with political parties intensifying their campaigns ahead of the governorship election this Saturday, August 15, 2026.