The Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Distinguished Senator Adenigba Francis Fadahunsi, OFR, has congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke on his re-election for a second term in office, describing the victory as a renewed mandate from the people of Osun State.
Coming from a man who only weeks earlier was captured on video allegedly urging supporters to “kill” members of the Accord — remarks he later tried to walk back as mere political metaphor — this sudden display of statesmanship reeks of opportunistic damage control rather than genuine democratic sportsmanship. Fadahunsi’s post-election olive branch cannot erase the toxic rhetoric that defined his campaign posture in the tense days leading to the August 15 poll. A man who allegedly openly authorized violence against political opponents, even though he later claimed it was about votes and not blood, has forfeited the moral high ground. Congratulating the winner after the people have spoken does not cleanse the record. The electorate has already delivered its verdict, and history will remember the language of threat more than the language of congratulation.
The senator’s about-face is particularly striking given his earlier public criticism of Governor Adeleke’s fitness for office and his vigorous campaigning for the APC candidate. Having defected from the PDP to the APC and secured the party’s ticket for the 2027 senatorial race, Fadahunsi positioned himself as a key figure in the effort to unseat the incumbent. The governor’s decisive victory in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas has left that strategy in ruins. Even on election day itself, footage emerged of Fadahunsi instructing that anyone who voted for any other party in his ward should be “picked” — seized — that same day. What exactly are we expected to believe about a man who, while ballots were still being cast, was openly directing the targeting of voters who dared choose differently? This is not metaphor. This is not heat-of-the-moment rhetoric. It is a clear signal of intolerance for the democratic right of citizens to vote according to their conscience.
The political relevance and value Senator Fadahunsi once commanded in Osun East have been severely diminished by this conduct. The pre-election violence allegedly linked to him, coupled with words now permanently etched on social media, will haunt him on election day. The people do not forget. Osun East needs a new direction. The people of Ijesha and the entire Osun East are yearning for a man of honour, a man of goodwill, and a true grassroots leader. _That man is Honourable Ibukun Ishola Fadipe_, Former Chairman, Osun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and the Senatorial Candidate of the Accord for Osun East Senatorial District. He represents the credibility, experience, and connection to the grassroots that Osun East deserves at the Red Chamber. Osun East needs Fadipe, not Fadahunsi, in 2027.
The congratulatory message is less about reconciliation and more about political survival. When a politician who inflamed tensions and openly called for the physical seizure of opposing voters suddenly discovers the language of mandate and renewal, it is usually because the writing is on the wall. The people of Osun East and the wider state have shown they prefer leaders who build rather than those who threaten and intimidate. Fadahunsi’s path to relevance is narrowing rapidly. His political oblivion is set. It is time for him to begin preparing to vacate the office and allow a credible alternative to emerge.
In a democracy still struggling with the scars of inflammatory speech and electoral violence, such moments matter. Congratulating a winner is the minimum expectation after a hard-fought contest. But when it comes from someone whose words previously risked turning the contest into something far darker — and who, even as voting was underway, was recorded directing the seizure of voters who rejected his preference — it rings hollow. The people of Osun have already spoken. The only question left is whether Fadahunsi will listen — or continue talking until the political wilderness fully claims him.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Advocate for Good Governance and Judicial Reform
