‘Kill Accord Members’: Adeyanju Seeks US, UK, Canada Sanctions Against Fadahunsi

Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has called on the United States, United Kingdom and Canada to consider imposing sanctions on Senator Francis Fadahunsi over his alleged remarks against members of the Accord Party (A) ahead of the Osun State governorship election.

Naija News reports that Adeyanju said he had petitioned the three countries, asking them to consider visa restrictions and other appropriate measures against the senator over comments he described as capable of encouraging political violence.

Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, the lawyer also urged leading candidates in the August 15 governorship election to openly condemn threats and violence against political opponents.

“Again, that takes me to the unfortunate remarks that we’ve just heard of Senator Fadahunsi, very regrettably threatening that members of the Accord Party be killed,” Adeyanju alleged.

Adeyanju maintained that the senator’s comments, as he interpreted them, went beyond ordinary political rhetoric.

He alleged that the remarks amounted to an attempt to incite attacks against Accord members.

According to him, the petition to the US, UK and Canada was aimed at drawing their attention to the controversy and urging them to take action where necessary.

He argued that the United States, in particular, had repeatedly expressed concern about threats to democratic processes and political violence in Nigeria.

Fadahunsi had earlier clarified that his controversial remarks were metaphorical and that he was calling on supporters of the All Progressives Congress to defeat Accord through the ballot rather than through violence.

Adeyanju also expressed concern over the political tension surrounding the Osun governorship election.

“For a very long time, we’ve not witnessed this level of violence preceding an election,” he said.

He urged political actors to exercise restraint and allow voters to decide the outcome of the election peacefully.

Lawyer Assesses Town Hall Candidates

Adeyanju also reviewed the performances of candidates who participated in the Arise Town Hall meeting ahead of the election.

He said he was not impressed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, arguing that the candidate made several broad promises without sufficiently explaining how they would be implemented.

The lawyer, however, praised the APC candidate for aggressively questioning the incumbent administration and raising issues concerning the management of state resources.

Adeyanju said Governor Ademola Adeleke impressed him most because he attempted to provide details of projects carried out by his administration.

He subsequently rated the performances “60/40” in Adeleke’s favour over the APC candidate.

Adeyanju added that Adeleke also raised allegations against the APC concerning alleged interference with the democratic process, some of which, he said, had generated discussions on social media.