The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has blamed President Bola Tinubu’s recent comment that “all is fair in politics” for remarks attributed to Senator Francis Fadahunsi ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation during an interview on Arise News on Wednesday, arguing that Fadahunsi may have interpreted the President’s statement as approval for aggressive tactics aimed at securing electoral victory.
Abdullahi said he would rather blame Tinubu than the Osun East senator, who was recently invited by the Osun State Police Command over comments made at an APC campaign rally in Ilesa. The remarks were widely interpreted as a call for attacks against members of the rival Accord Party.
“I don’t want to blame Senator Fadahunsi. I blame President Bola Tinubu,” Abdullahi said, alleging that the senator derived his authority from the President’s earlier statement.
Tinubu had, on July 28, told members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja that he would fight political opponents seeking to defeat him in 2027, adding that “all is fair in a democratic contest.”
Abdullahi argued that such language from a president could be interpreted by political supporters as permission to cross the line in the pursuit of political victory. He said political leaders must be careful about the signals their public statements send to those who support them.
The ADC spokesman also raised concerns about the security situation ahead of Saturday’s election, describing the deployment of armed security personnel across Osun as the “militarisation” of the state’s political space.
Despite the concerns, Abdullahi expressed confidence in the ADC’s chances of winning the governorship election. The party is fielding Najeem Salaam as its candidate and, according to Abdullahi, could emerge victorious if the poll is conducted freely and fairly.
The controversy surrounding Fadahunsi comes just days before Osun voters head to the polls, with political parties and security agencies under pressure to ensure that the election is conducted peacefully and credibly.
