The Imole Campaign Council has called for the arrest of the senator representing Osun East senatorial district, Francis Fadahunsi, over his comment inciting the All Progressives Congress (APC) members to violence in Ilesa, Osun.
Mr Fadahunsi, in a viral video on Tuesday, instructed APC members to “kill” Accord Party members in Ilesa ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
“If you see any Accord Party member in Ilesa from now on to the day of the election, kill them,” the politician stated.
However, the council, in a statement issued by its chairman, media and publicity, Bamidele Salam, described the threat as disturbing.
“The video, which has been confirmed by several persons, is a confirmation of the information we have gathered in the last couple of weeks as to the importation of thugs, hoodlums and fake policemen into Ilase, the hometown of the senator and some other towns of Obokun, Oriade, Ilesa East & West and Atakumosa East & West local Government,” the statement said.
The council described the statement as despicable and noted that Mr Fadahunsi also “invoked the usual boast about federal might to threaten that even if members of our political party present their voters’ cards at the polling unit on Saturday, his thugs will prevent them from voting.”
“Coming from a serving member of the National Assembly who swore to uphold the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we feel compelled to demand that the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Department of State Security order the arrest of senator Fadahunsi and prosecute him in accordance with relevant laws of the federation,” it added.
The council also demanded that all security formations charged with conducting Saturday’s elections pay particular attention to the six local governments in Ijeshaland to protect the lives of party members and every other law-abiding citizen who comes out to exercise their franchise.
While stressing the need for security agencies to flush out armed thugs and fake police officers in Ilase Ijesha and several other parts of Ijeshaland, the council vowed to hold Mr Fadahunsi responsible for any act of violence against any Accord Party members in the state.
The council urged all law-abiding citizens in Ijeshaland to remain peaceful and law-abiding, charging them to defy Mr Fadahunsi’s threat and go out en masse to vote for their party of choice in the forthcoming election.