Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has asked the United Kingdom, United States and Canada to consider visa restrictions and other sanctions against Senator Francis Fadahunsi over alleged threatening remarks ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
Adeyanju’s demand comes as political tensions rise across the state, with the Independent National Electoral Commission scheduled to conduct the governorship election on August 15.
INEC has confirmed 2,339,233 registered voters across Osun’s 30 local government areas, while 14 political parties are participating in the poll.
In a letter dated August 11 and reportedly received by the British High Commission in Abuja on Wednesday, Adeyanju urged the UK to impose a visa ban on Fadahunsi and members of his family over alleged comments directed at members of the Accord Party.
The lawyer said the senator was captured in a video addressing supporters in Yoruba at a campaign gathering, where he allegedly made remarks threatening members of the opposition party.
Adeyanju cited translations published by media organisations which attributed to the senator a call for Accord Party members to be killed between the campaign period and election day.
He said copies of the reports and a flash drive containing the alleged video were attached to his petition.
Adeyanju argued that foreign governments should send a strong message to Nigerian politicians who allegedly undermine democratic processes and threaten political opponents.
“For far too long, Nigerian politicians have acted with impunity in a manner that has subverted the will of the Nigerian people, undermined the rule of law, and caused substantial loss of lives and property of ordinary Nigerians,” he said in the petition.
He also called for stronger international measures in future cases, including possible seizure of assets and foreclosure of business interests belonging to Nigerians who actively undermine the country’s constitutional democratic process.
Adeyanju said he had similarly petitioned the United States and Canada, asking the countries to consider sanctions and visa restrictions against Fadahunsi.
He also urged the leading candidates in the Osun election to publicly condemn threats or calls for violence against political opponents.
The development comes amid a tense political atmosphere in Osun.
Governor Ademola Adeleke had in July asked the British government to impose visa bans and economic sanctions on Fadahunsi and other APC leaders whom he accused of aiding political violence in the state.
The governor made the demand while receiving a British government delegation ahead of the election.
Fadahunsi and other politicians named in Adeleke’s allegations have faced political accusations from opposing camps as campaigning intensified.
The senator has also been at the centre of a separate political dispute involving the police and Accord Party officials. In July, the Imole Campaign Council accused police officers linked to his security team of involvement in the arrest of Accord House of Representatives candidate Popoola Alaba.
The police said Alaba was arrested following a petition alleging illegal mining, while Fadahunsi’s camp rejected claims that the senator masterminded the arrest.
Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East, joined the All Progressives Congress after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party in 2025. He later secured the APC ticket for the Osun East senatorial contest in the 2027 election after winning the party’s primary with 23,593 votes.
The latest controversy comes days after political parties and stakeholders renewed calls for a peaceful election. Twelve of the 14 parties contesting the governorship poll previously signed peace and accountability charters committing them to non-violence and respect for electoral institutions.
With voting now days away, Adeyanju’s international sanctions campaign adds another layer to an already heated political contest and places renewed attention on the conduct and rhetoric of political actors in Osun.
