Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has faulted the release of the Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Francis Fadahunsi, after he was questioned by the police over remarks in a viral video allegedly threatening members of the Accord Party.

Effiong called on the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to prosecute the senator, arguing that the remarks could heighten political tension ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.

The lawyer made his position known in a post on X on Wednesday while reacting to the controversy surrounding the senator’s remarks.

Fadahunsi had been invited by the Osun State Police Command after a video circulated online in which he was heard making comments interpreted as a threat to kill Accord Party members in Ilesa.

The senator later explained that he was referring to defeating the Accord Party with votes at the ballot box and not physically killing its members.

However, Effiong dismissed the explanation as “pedestrian, childish and feeble”.

He described the alleged statement as “highly unfortunate, condemnable, reckless and irresponsible”, particularly given the tense political atmosphere in Osun ahead of the election.

Effiong said, “The Senator’s incendiary statement has heightened the already tense political atmosphere in the state, which may lead to a breakdown of law and order and negatively affect voter turnout in the forthcoming election.”

He further argued that the remarks could affect the integrity of the electoral process by allegedly inciting supporters of the All Progressives Congress against supporters of the Accord Party and other political parties.

According to him, the statement could also scare voters away from exercising their constitutional and civic rights to vote for candidates of their choice.

Effiong acknowledged that the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Osun State Police Command had invited Fadahunsi for questioning and subsequently released him.

However, he criticised the decision to release the senator without further action.

“I am aware that the Criminal Investigation Department of the Osun State Police Command invited the Senator for questioning and subsequently released him. This shows that the Osun State Police Command has already taken sides and appears unwilling to take further action against the Senator,” he said.

Effiong therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police to immediately arraign Fadahunsi before a court of competent jurisdiction.

“It is on this note that I call on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to immediately arraign the Senator in a court of competent jurisdiction, in order to demonstrate to Nigerians that his commitment to securing the electoral process in Osun and ensuring a free and fair election is not empty,” he said.

The lawyer said prosecuting Fadahunsi would also demonstrate that the police were impartial in handling political cases ahead of the election.

He said the prosecution would be particularly important given previous allegations involving the arrest of Accord Party members in the state.

Effiong said, “The prosecution of the Senator will equally demonstrate to Nigerians that he is non-partisan and impartial, having arrested members of the Accord Party and ferried them to Abuja on yet-to-be-substantiated allegations of violence.”

He warned that failure to prosecute the senator could send a dangerous message to political actors and the public.

“Failure to prosecute Senator Fadahunsi in accordance with the law will be interpreted by well-meaning Nigerians as an official endorsement of anarchy and a dangerous signal that certain individuals are above the law,” he said.

Effiong added that inaction could undermine public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force and embolden political actors and their supporters to resort to threats, intimidation and violence during political engagements.

PUNCH Online had reported that Fadahunsi was invited and questioned by the Osun State Police Command over the viral video.

The police said the invitation was aimed at obtaining clarification from the senator, fostering mutual understanding and preventing any escalation of tension ahead of the election.

Fadahunsi honoured the invitation and was questioned at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Osogbo before later leaving the police headquarters.

His media office maintained that the video had been selectively edited and that the senator’s reference to “killing” Accord members was a metaphorical call to defeat the party through votes.

The controversy comes amid heightened political tension in Osun ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.