By Comrade James Onifade
Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, has crossed a dangerous line.
In a viral video from Ilesa, he was captured telling supporters that any Accord member seen in the area before the election would be killed. He even dared them: “Record me and spread it.”
That is not political rhetoric. That is a direct invitation to intimidation and thuggery.
A sitting senator sworn to uphold the Constitution stood before the people and issued what amounts to a death threat against citizens whose only “crime” is supporting another party. He has since scrambled to claim he meant “killing” Accord with votes. Spare us the afterthought. Words matter.
When a man of his stature speaks publicly, dares people to record him, and talks of killing opponents, the message to thugs and street enforcers is clear: violence is licensed.
This is not leadership. This is the language of a warlord, not a representative. The people of Ijesaland and Osun East who voted him into office are the same people he now seeks to cow with fear. He rose to power on their ballots. He enjoys the privileges of the National Assembly because of their trust. Yet the moment opposition appears in his backyard, his instinct is to threaten death instead of competing with ideas, performance, or persuasion.
That single act reveals the kind of “leader” he is: one who confuses public office with ownership of the people.
Political thuggery has no place in a democracy that claims to value the ballot. Elections are decided by votes, not by who can intimidate more or make the streets unsafe for opponents. When a senator declares that members of another party should not be seen in a town, he is not defending his party. He is declaring that free movement, free association, and free choice are privileges he can revoke.
The people of Osun are not children to be threatened into silence. We know our rights. No senator, no matter how loud or well-connected, has the authority to decide who may walk the streets of Ilesa or any other community.
On Saturday, voters will exercise their constitutional right. Any attempt at intimidation, any mobilisation of thugs, and any effort to turn polling units into no-go areas for perceived opponents will be met with lawful resistance, vigilance, and a collective refusal to be cowed.
Fadahunsi must remember that power is temporary and borrowed from the electorate. The same voters who elevated him will judge him by his conduct. A man who resorts to threats of violence against political rivals has already admitted he lacks confidence in his ideas and his candidate.
Osun does not need senators who talk of killing opponents. It needs leaders who understand that the strength of democracy lies in the right of every citizen to support any party without fear. The people who voted for Fadahunsi did not give him a licence to wage war against them. His words have shown that he is unworthy of the title of leader.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Advocate for Good Governance and Judicial Reform
