The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has blamed President Bola Tinubu’s recent political comments for remarks attributed to Senator Francis Fadahunsi that were interpreted as encouraging attacks against members of the Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
Speaking on Arise News on Wednesday, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said Fadahunsi may have interpreted President Tinubu’s statement that “all is fair in politics” as approval for political actors to use any means necessary to secure electoral victory.
“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.
Fadahunsi was recently questioned by the Osun State Police Command over comments he allegedly made during an APC campaign rally in Ilesa. The remarks were interpreted as encouraging supporters to attack members of the Accord Party.
Abdullahi argued that statements made by political leaders could influence the behaviour of their supporters, particularly when such comments are perceived as defining the limits of acceptable conduct during elections.
“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 added that political leaders did not need to explicitly direct supporters to engage in wrongdoing for their statements to influence conduct.
“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 said.
President Tinubu made the “all is fair in politics” remark on July 28 while receiving the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, during discussions on the 2027 political contest.
Meanwhile, Abdullahi expressed confidence that the ADC could emerge victorious in Saturday’s Osun governorship election if the poll is conducted transparently.
The ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, is competing against other major contenders, including incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
“If this is going to be a free and fair election, ADC will win this election,” Abdullahi said.
He also criticised the deployment of heavily armed security personnel across Osun ahead of the election, describing it as the “militarisation” of the state’s political space.
According to him, the heavy security presence could raise concerns about voter confidence and ultimately affect the credibility of the electoral process.
