Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, representing Osun East, has called on his supporters to closely monitor the ballot during Saturday's governorship election in Osun State, urging them to ensure votes are cast for their preferred candidates. Fadahunsi made the appeal while addressing a crowd in Ilesha, as seen in a video circulating online.
In the video, he said: "Monitor the ballot, don't let someone else tell you, monitor it. Whosoever does not vote rightly is not a true son of this land."
Controversial Remarks Spark Backlash
The call comes just days after Fadahunsi found himself at the centre of a heated controversy following remarks that many took as a direct threat against Accord Party members in Ilesha, as reported by Daily Trust. He was quoted warning that there would be trouble if Accord Party members were spotted in the area, and that his supporters would "kill" them.
The comments drew swift condemnation and forced the senator to issue a formal response through his media office in Osogbo. In a statement titled "Kill Osun Accord with Votes, Not Violence, Senator Fadahunsi Tells APC," he described his words as "purely political and metaphorical."
Fadahunsi said the statement was meant to inspire supporters to overwhelmingly reject the Accord Party through their votes, not through any form of physical attack or harm.
Context of the Osun Governorship Election
Saturday's governorship election in Osun State has drawn significant attention, with multiple parties competing for control of the state. Fadahunsi's public intervention in Ilesha, both his earlier remarks and his latest call on supporters to monitor voting, underlines how closely contested the election is expected to be in that part of the state.
The senator's clarification did little to fully quieten concerns, given that his initial comments had already circulated widely before the correction was issued.
Voter Disenfranchisement Due to BVAS Failure
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a 55-year-old man was left unable to vote during the Osun State governorship election on Saturday, August 15, 2026, after the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System repeatedly failed to verify his face at his assigned polling unit. The voter, Sharafa Lasisi, attempted accreditation at Polling Unit 006, Ward 04, in the Isale/Oke-Afo area of Ikirun, Ifelodun Local Government Area, but the BVAS machine could not complete facial recognition on multiple occasions.
