Claim
A viral campaign video shows Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, addressing supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ilesa. In the footage, he is heard speaking in Yoruba, urging his supporters to violently confront opposition party members. His specific verbal remarks translate directly to a directive to execute political rivals. Following an intensive public outcry and police interrogation, Senator Fadahunsi’s media office claimed the video was an “edited version” and a “political metaphor” meant to imply defeating the party with votes, not physical violence.
The explosive media asset was pushed heavily into the public domain by Afrobeat artist Davido and has sparked severe national outrage just hours before the Saturday, August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election.
Why We Checked
Incitement to political violence and directives to execute opposing party supporters and their families can trigger widespread electoral bloodbaths, jeopardise regional stability, and cause mass voter suppression.
Also, we fact-checked because the Senator has publicly defended himself on national television, claiming that the video was doctored and manipulated.
Halt Fake conducted an exhaustive, chronological source verification to separate official legal proceedings from defensive political rhetoric.
Verification
Halt Fake audited the exact timeline of events, legal filings, and institutional responses surrounding this developing case:
Transcription and Audio Content Analysis: Halt Fake conducted an independent linguistic and technical review of the primary footage. Speaking in Yoruba, Senator Fadahunsi is captured explicitly telling the gathered crowd: “What kind of life is this? We don’t want to hear anything about the Accord Party again in Ilesa. We have now told you, until the election period, whenever you see them, kill them.” He further instructed supporters that if Accord leaders cannot be found, their wives and children should be targeted, while declaring that on election day, voters with cards would be barred from voting. Our internal forensic review of the audio file confirms the sound wave is continuous, lacking any sudden digital splices, automated sentence masking, or artificial pitch manipulation. He explicitly dared attendees to record him and publish the footage online.
Contradictory Public Defenses: We tracked a direct conflict between the Senator’s first and second public explanations:
- First Defence: His media office released an advisory via Vanguard Online, entitled: “Kill Osun Accord with Votes, Not Violence, Senator Fadahunsi Tells APC,” claiming the terminology was entirely metaphorical. That release is found here.
- Second Defence: Appearing live on national television, the Senator shifted his stance when pressed, demanding, “Adeleke has been killing his own people in Ilesa, and do you want me to keep silent?” He proceeded to assert that over 12 APC members had been killed under the current administration. That claim is found here.
The State Executive Response: Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke formally petitioned security agencies, calling the video “incitement to genocide against the people of Ijesaland and Osun State,” and demanded the immediate arrest of the lawmaker. Following Adeleke’s petition, the Osun State Police Command summoned and grilled Fadahunsi for two hours at the CID headquarters in Osogbo before releasing him administratively.
The Formal Lawsuit (HOS/M.157/26): To prevent the case from being buried, the Osun State Government, through Attorney General Oluwole Jimi-Bada, officially filed a lawsuit against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the State Commissioner of Police under Suit Number HOS/M.157/26 at the High Court in Osogbo, seeking a court mandate to compel a thorough, uncompromised investigation.
International and Civil Society Backlash: Mainstream report found here confirmed that Amnesty International has initiated a global online campaign against Fadahunsi.
The human rights group stated it would name and shame the lawmaker across 150 countries as an example of political impunity. Concurrently, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) issued a political bulletin blaming President Tinubu’s past aggressive campaign rhetoric for creating the atmosphere enabling such statements.
The Unconfirmed Killing of Dele Ayegbo: On Wednesday night, August 12, 2026, Dele Ayegbo—the biological nephew of the APC Governorship Campaign DG, Wole Oke—was shot dead by gunmen in a moving black SUV in the Idofin quarters of Esa-Oke. While the Osun APC Statement via Kola Olabisi has linked the murder directly to Accord Party hoodlums as a consequence of the viral video, the Osun State Police Command has not officially established a legal causation between the Senator’s video and the attack.
Verdict
FALSE.
The claim by Senator Francis Fadahunsi that the viral video showing him instructing supporters to kill Accord Party members was an “edited” misrepresentation is completely false.
Halt Fake’s internal audio-visual forensics, continuous voice track monitoring, and Yoruba-to-English translation analysis confirm that the video is intact, authentic, and completely unaltered.
His shifting media defenses directly contradict the verifiable audio evidence recorded at the scene.
Conclusion
Halt Fake strongly counsels the public and political stakeholders to refrain from deploying incendiary remarks ahead of the August 15 governorship poll.
Senator Fadahunsi remains under active police investigation, and the Osun State Government has formalised judicial actions to ensure full statutory review.
Supporter groups across all local government regions must maintain absolute peace, ignore violent rhetoric, and allow the electorate to express their democratic franchise safely.
