Governor Ademola Adeleke has expressed concerns over a viral video allegedly showing Senator Francis Fadahunsi calling for the killing of Accord leaders and their family members.

Governor Adeleke raised the alarm on Tuesday during an emergency press briefing organised to report on developments on the state’s political landscape.

The governor said the alleged remarks had gone beyond political contestation and should be treated as a national security matter requiring the attention of President Bola Tinubu through the Office of the National Security Adviser.

“This is now beyond politics. This is now a national security threat. I have demanded the immediate investigation and arrest of the senator.”

He called on the Nigeria Police and Department of State Services to investigate the allegation against Fadahunsi, while urging security agencies to stop what he described as unlawful operations against Accord members and ensure that all actions before, during and after the election comply with the rule of law.

Governor Adeleke also alleged that a police directive has been issued for the immediate arrest of leaders of the Accord Party in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

The governor said credible reports indicated that a police signal had arrived in Osun directing the immediate arrest of Accord Party leaders, with instructions for them to be taken to Abuja and detained until Monday.

According to Adeleke, “I have spoken with the Inspector-General of Police over the reported directive and urged him to clarify whether such an order had been issued.

“I am appealing to him that this development, if true, is illegal, and presents Nigeria as a lawless country.”

He alleged that arresting Accord leaders on the eve of the election could undermine the electoral process, urging the police to publicly assure Nigerians that no such directive had been issued.

Adeleke also claimed that more than 62 Accord leaders were currently being held in police custody without charges, describing the situation as unacceptable.

“It is disturbing that we still have over 62 Accord leaders held in illegal police detention without any charges against them. This is not democracy,” he said.

DAILY POST had earlier reported that The Imole Campaign Council, TICC, had called for the arrest and prosecution of Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi over an alleged threat to kill members and supporters of the Accord in Ijeshaland, Osun State.

The campaign council made the demand in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Chairman, Media and Publicity, Bamidele Salam.

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Osun State, Najeem Salaam, has expressed confidence ahead of Saturday’s election, saying voters will support him because of his commitment to ending political violence and restoring peace across the state.

Speaking during a Town Hall programme on Arise News, Salaam said many residents were weary of political thuggery and were looking for a leadership that could guarantee stability and security.

Continue reading on the Daily Post app →

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged religious leaders across Nigeria to promote peace and reconciliation rather than hatred and division.

Yilwatda made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking at an International Conference on National Security for Socio-economic Development organised by Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), in partnership with the Muslim World League of Saudi Arabia.

He said Nigeria’s religious, ethnic and cultural diversity should be seen as a strength rather than a reason for conflict.

Yilwatda said his personal experience had shaped his belief that people of different faiths could live together peacefully.

“I came here to this conversation not as a new person to diversity. I’ve experienced the painful part of diversity, and I’ve experienced the beautiful part of the same diversity,” he said.

He recalled growing up in a community where his father, a pastor, had a close relationship with the local chief imam. He said the two families visited each other regularly and celebrated religious festivals together despite their different faiths.

According to him, such relationships showed that religious differences should not create “human distances and separation”.

Yilwatda also spoke about the violence his family experienced after his father was transferred to Bauchi in 1991. He said their home and neighbourhood were burnt during the crisis, forcing both Christians and Muslims to seek safety in military barracks.

The APC chairman said he later spent about three months in an internally displaced persons’ camp, where he witnessed how violence affected people regardless of their religion.

He warned that Nigeria continues to face threats such as terrorism, banditry, communal violence, ethnic tensions, religious intolerance and hate speech.

Yilwatda also criticised politicians who exploit religious and ethnic sentiments for political advantage.

“We weaponise religion. We weaponise division for political advantage. Temporary advantage, but it leaves permanent damage in our lives,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to ensure that their religious beliefs encourage respect for the dignity and freedom of people from other faiths.

The APC chairman also called on religious leaders to make mosques and churches centres of peace, reconciliation and responsible citizenship.

“Let us preach truth without hatred, conviction without contempt, and truth without incitement. We can preach truth without inciting people. That is the hallmark of teaching as a religious leader,” he said.

Yilwatda said Nigeria should work towards a society where Christians and Muslims protect one another and defend the dignity of every citizen, regardless of religious or ethnic differences.