Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has formally petitioned the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada to consider sanctions, including visa restrictions, against Senator Francis Fadahunsi over remarks the senator allegedly made threatening members of the Accord Party ahead of Osun State’s governorship election.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, Adeyanju described the controversy as particularly troubling given what he characterized as a direct threat embedded in the senator’s comments. “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,” he said, adding that in his assessment, it was “very clear” the senator was effectively encouraging attacks against Accord Party members.
Adeyanju grounded his appeal to the three Western governments in what he described as their consistent stated interest in supporting democratic norms in Nigeria and their history of speaking out against political violence. His petition, he explained, was meant to draw international attention to the alleged threat and prompt some form of formal response.
Beyond the specific case involving Fadahunsi, Adeyanju expressed broader alarm at the level of tension surrounding the upcoming election, describing it as unusual by recent standards. “For a very long time, we’ve not witnessed this level of violence preceding an election,” he said, and called on all leading candidates in the race to publicly condemn any threats or incitement to violence against political rivals, regardless of party affiliation.
Turning to the candidates themselves during a separate portion of the Arise Town Hall discussion, Adeyanju offered a mixed assessment of the field. He was critical of the African Democratic Congress candidate, whom he accused of offering sweeping campaign promises without laying out concrete plans for how they would actually be implemented. By contrast, he praised the APC candidate’s combative style, saying the opposition contender had appropriately pressed the incumbent governor on questions of resource management and accountability.
Even so, it was Governor Ademola Adeleke who left the strongest impression on Adeyanju, largely due to his attempt to directly account for specific projects carried out during his administration. Adeyanju scored the overall town hall performance 60-40 in Adeleke’s favour over the APC candidate, noting that Adeleke had also raised allegations of electoral interference by the APC, claims that Adeyanju said had already been circulating among social media users prior to the town hall.
