Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has called on the United States, United Kingdom and Canada to impose sanctions on Senator Francis Fadahunsi over his alleged threat against members of the Accord Party ahead of the Osun State governorship election.
Adeyanju disclosed this while speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time, where he said he had petitioned the three countries over the alleged remarks and urged them to consider visa restrictions and other appropriate sanctions against the senator.
He also called on all major candidates contesting the election to publicly condemn threats, violence and calls for attacks against political opponents.
Reacting to the controversy surrounding Fadahunsi’s alleged remarks, Adeyanju said the statement was disturbing and could encourage violence against members of the Accord Party.
“Again, that takes me to the unfortunate remarks that we’ve just heard of Senator Fadaunsi, very regrettably threatening that members of the Accord Party be killed,” Adeyanju said.
The lawyer added that, in his view, the remarks suggested an alleged attempt to incite attacks against members of the opposition party.
Adeyanju said the United States had repeatedly expressed its commitment to supporting democratic processes in Nigeria and had warned against political violence, arguing that the alleged remarks should therefore attract international attention.
He expressed concern over what he described as the rising level of violence and political tension ahead of the Osun governorship election.
“For a very long time, we’ve not witnessed this level of violence preceding an election,” he said.
Meanwhile, Adeyanju also reviewed the performances of candidates at the Arise Town Hall session ahead of the election.
He criticised the African Democratic Congress candidate, saying he was unimpressed by what he described as broad campaign promises without sufficient details on how they would be implemented.
Adeyanju, however, praised the combative approach of the All Progressives Congress candidate, noting that the candidate challenged the incumbent governor and raised questions about the management of state resources.
He said Governor Ademola Adeleke impressed him the most during the town hall session because he attempted to account for some of the projects executed by his administration.
Adeyanju ultimately rated the town hall performance 60/40 in favour of Adeleke over the APC candidate.
He further said Adeleke raised allegations of infractions by the APC, some of which he claimed had already generated discussions among social media users, particularly allegations concerning interference with the democratic process.
The comments come amid heightened political activities and growing tensions ahead of the Osun State governorship election, with stakeholders increasingly calling for a peaceful and credible electoral process.
