Osun poll: Amnesty vows to use Fadahunsi as example over ‘kill’ comment

Amnesty International Nigeria has vowed to use Senator Francis Fadahunsi as an example in its fight against impunity and inflammatory political language ahead of the upcoming Osun State gubernatorial election. Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East Senatorial District, faced criticism after a video surfaced showing him encouraging his supporters to "kill" members of the Accord Party, the party of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke.

However, Fadahunsi denied calling for violence, stating that his comments referred to politically neutralizing the Accord Party through votes. Isa Sanusi, the Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, condemned the remarks attributed to Fadahunsi and emphasized that the organization would use this incident to challenge the impunity of Nigerian politicians.

He stressed that advocating for hatred is a crime under international and Nigerian laws, and vowed to use Fadahunsi as an example to show that such behavior cannot continue. Amnesty International intends to publicly name and shame politicians promoting electoral violence both domestically and internationally, as part of their ongoing campaign.

The organization plans to extend this effort beyond Nigeria, alerting the governments of other countries to the dangers posed by these individuals. Sanusi's stance highlights the importance of accountability for inflammatory statements, especially in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections, to discourage political actors from making comments that could potentially incite violence.