- Hashim accuses Tinubu of waging ‘war’ against Osun, demands neutrality as Fadahunsi video heightens tension
With the August 15 governorship election in Osun State only hours away, the presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has urged voters to resist intimidation and stand their ground as they prepare to elect the next governor of the state.
Hashim’s warning comes against the backdrop of an increasingly tense political atmosphere in the state, where the battle for the Government House in Osogbo has assumed significance beyond the immediate contest for political power.
The intervention has also acquired added significance because the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, is seeking re-election on the platform of Accord, the same party on which Hashim is the presidential candidate.
In a strongly worded statement issued ahead of Saturday’s poll, Hashim accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of waging what he described as “a war against the people” of Osun State, alleging that recent actions of the Federal Government had crossed the boundary of political contest into what he called “punitive state oppression.”
The Accord presidential candidate specifically cited the alleged withholding of local government allocations, restrictions placed on the accounts of the Osun State Government and the alleged provision of security protection for APC supporters accused of attacking opposition members as evidence of what he described as a coordinated attempt to undermine democracy and punish the people of Osun for political reasons.
The already charged atmosphere was further inflamed by a viral video involving Senator Francis Fadahunsi, in which the Osun East lawmaker was allegedly heard calling on APC supporters to “kill” members of the Accord Party found in Ilesa ahead of the election.
The video triggered widespread condemnation and prompted calls for the senator’s arrest and investigation. Governor Adeleke also reportedly asked the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the lawmaker.
Fadahunsi, however, subsequently denied that he was calling for physical violence, explaining that his reference to “killing Accord” meant defeating the party with votes.
The controversy nevertheless added another layer of anxiety to an election already characterised by allegations of intimidation and political confrontation. The police have since reportedly summoned the senator over the disputed remarks.
Hashim, who is also Co-Chairman of the Movement for Democratic Renewal, acknowledged that restrictions placed on the state’s accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had subsequently been lifted following a directive from President Tinubu.
He, however, maintained that the measures should never have been imposed in the first place.
He described the alleged actions as an abuse of federal power and inconsistent with the principles of constitutional democracy.
“This is not politics. It is the punitive conduct of a Federal colonial state treating the people of Osun as vassals,” Hashim said.
His intervention comes at a particularly sensitive moment in Osun’s political history, with the governorship contest becoming a wider test of the relationship between the state and the Federal Government and of the ability of the electorate to determine its leadership without intimidation.
For Hashim, however, the immediate issue is not merely which candidate wins the governorship but whether the people of Osun will be allowed to freely determine their choice.
He argued that democracy could not survive where federal institutions were allegedly deployed as political weapons against elected state governments, insisting that the sovereignty of the people must never be subordinated to partisan interests.
“However this ends, all state officials involved in this political brigandage must note that they will be held individually accountable for their actions,” he warned.
The presidential candidate also called on President Tinubu to ensure that every remaining obstacle to a free, peaceful and credible election was removed, urging the Federal Government to direct security agencies and other officials involved in the electoral process to remain neutral.
“It is not too late to apply the brakes,” he said. “President Tinubu should immediately instruct all security agencies and federal officials to remain neutral and allow the people of Osun to make their choices in an atmosphere devoid of intimidation. The world is watching.”
The appeal has become particularly significant in the wake of the Fadahunsi controversy, as fears over inflammatory political rhetoric and possible violence increasingly compete with the conventional campaign arguments over governance, performance and the future direction of the state.
Hashim urged political actors on all sides to recognise that an election should be a contest of ideas and votes rather than a test of strength between rival political camps.
The governor’s supporters have sought to frame the election as a referendum on Adeleke’s performance in office, pointing to his administration’s claims on infrastructure, education, healthcare, workers’ welfare and debt reduction.
But the final hours of the contest have increasingly been overshadowed by allegations of political intimidation, federal interference and inflammatory statements, raising concerns about whether voters will feel sufficiently secure to participate freely.
Hashim’s message, therefore, is directed beyond the political camps. He urged voters not to allow fear, intimidation or political pressure to determine their participation, insisting that the ballot remained the most powerful instrument available to the people in a democracy.
“Stand your ground. Refuse to be cowed into submission. We are still a democracy and a Republic,” he told the electorate.
“Come out peacefully and exercise your constitutional right to vote.”
With the election entering its final hours, Hashim’s intervention places the Accord Party’s presidential candidate squarely at the centre of the debate over the conduct of the Osun poll, while the controversy surrounding the Fadahunsi video has further sharpened concerns about the political temperature ahead of Saturday.
The immediate challenge before the authorities, political parties and security agencies is to ensure that the heated contest does not degenerate into violence and that voters are able to enter the polling booths without fear.
For Hashim, the message is unequivocal: the people of Osun must not surrender their constitutional right to choose their government to intimidation or political pressure.
The question now is whether Saturday’s vote will be determined solely by the people of Osun — or whether the increasingly toxic atmosphere surrounding the election will be allowed to influence their choice.
(The Sun)