The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu of creating a political atmosphere that may have influenced controversial remarks attributed to Senator Francis Fadahunsi ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation on Arise News on Wednesday while reacting to comments credited to Fadahunsi during an APC campaign rally in Ilesa.
Fadahunsi was recently questioned by the Osun State Police Command over remarks interpreted as encouraging supporters to attack members of the Accord Party. Rather than placing the blame solely on the senator, Abdullahi linked the controversy to a statement previously made by Tinubu concerning political competition.
“I don’t want to blame Senator Fadahunsi. I blame President Bola Tinubu. He got his imprimatur for what he said from President Bola Tinubu. He got his authorisation from President Bola Tinubu,” Abdullahi said.
According to him, political statements from leaders at the highest level could influence how supporters interpret acceptable conduct during elections. Abdullahi argued that Tinubu’s July 28 comment that “all is fair in politics” could be interpreted by political actors as approval for aggressive tactics in pursuit of electoral victory.
“When the President of the Federal Republic says ‘all is fair in politics,’ it means that you can maim, you can kill, you can steal, you can do whatever it takes, just deliver victory,” he said.
He added that political leaders did not necessarily need to spell out every action for their statements to influence followers.
“A president doesn’t need to say everything. When a president says ‘all is fair in politics,’ you are authorising any kind of behaviour,” Abdullahi stated.
Tinubu made the remark while hosting the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, during discussions surrounding the 2027 political contest.
Despite its concerns over the political atmosphere, the ADC said it remained confident of winning Saturday’s governorship election if the process was conducted transparently. The party’s candidate, Najeem Salaam, is contesting against incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke and the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, among others.
“If this is going to be a free and fair election, ADC will win this election,” Abdullahi said.
The party official also raised concerns over the deployment of heavily armed security personnel across the state ahead of the election. He described the development as the “militarisation” of Osun’s political space and questioned its possible implications for the credibility of the electoral process. The ADC’s position comes amid heightened political tensions and competing allegations among parties as candidates make their final efforts to mobilise voters ahead of Saturday’s poll.
