The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has linked President Bola Tinubu’s recent political comments to remarks attributed to Senator Francis Fadahunsi ahead of Saturday’s Osun election. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation during an appearance on Arise News on Wednesday, arguing that political statements from senior leaders could influence how their supporters interpret acceptable conduct during elections.
Abdullahi said he did not want to place the blame solely on Fadahunsi, who was recently questioned by the Osun State Police Command over comments made at an APC campaign rally in Ilesa. The remarks were interpreted as encouraging supporters to attack members of the Accord Party. Instead, Abdullahi attributed the development to what he described as the political message coming from the presidency.
“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.
He was referring to a comment made by Tinubu on July 28 while receiving members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. According to Abdullahi, the President’s statement that “all is fair in politics” could be interpreted by political actors as permission to cross acceptable boundaries 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.
The ADC spokesman argued that political leaders needed to consider how their statements could be understood by supporters and other actors within the political system.
“A president doesn’t need to say everything. When a president says ‘all is fair in politics,’ you are authorising any kind of behaviour. A subordinate, someone who looks up to you, can interpret it anywhere they like,” he added.
Despite the concerns, Abdullahi expressed confidence that the ADC could emerge victorious in the Osun election if the poll was conducted transparently. The party’s candidate, Najeem Salaam, is facing incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke and the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, among other contenders. Abdullahi said the ADC believed the electorate would support its candidate if voters were allowed to freely express their choices.
“If this is going to be a free and fair election, ADC will win this election,” he said.
The ADC spokesman also criticised the deployment of heavily armed security personnel across the state ahead of Saturday’s poll. He described the development as “militarisation” of Osun’s political space and questioned whether such a security presence could affect public confidence in the electoral process. The concerns come amid heightened political tension involving the major parties and allegations of intimidation ahead of the election.
The ADC has therefore called attention to the need for security agencies to conduct themselves impartially and ensure that voters and political parties can participate without fear. With the Osun election scheduled for Saturday, the party said the credibility of the exercise would ultimately depend on whether voters were able to cast their ballots freely and whether their choices were properly protected.
