•Deji Adeyanju
Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has urged the United States, United Kingdom and Canada to impose sanctions on Senator Francis Fadaunsi over his alleged threat against members of the Accord Party ahead of the Osun State governorship election.
Adeyanju said he had petitioned the three countries over the alleged remarks, asking them to consider visa restrictions and other sanctions against the senator.
He also called on all leading candidates in the election to condemn any threat or call for violence against political opponents.
Adeyanju spoke on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme while reacting to the ongoing political activities ahead of the Osun governorship election.
He said Fadaunsi’s alleged remarks were particularly concerning, arguing that they amounted to an attempt to encourage violence against members of the Accord Party.
“Again, that takes me to the unfortunate remarks that we’ve just heard of Senator Fadaunsi, very regrettably threatening that members of the Accord Party be killed,” Adeyanju said.
He added that it was “very clear” to him that the senator was allegedly engineering attacks against members of the party.
According to Adeyanju, the United States has consistently expressed interest in promoting democracy in Nigeria and has warned against political violence.
He said the petition was intended to draw the attention of the three countries to the alleged threat and seek appropriate action.
Adeyanju said the level of violence and tension surrounding the forthcoming election was worrying.
“For a very long time, we’ve not witnessed this level of violence preceding an election,” he said.
Speaking further on the Arise Town Hall session on the Osun governorship election, Adeyanju said he was unimpressed by the candidate of the African Democratic Congress, whom he accused of making broad campaign promises without providing clear implementation plans.
He, however, praised the combative approach of the All Progressives Congress candidate, saying the opposition candidate appropriately challenged the incumbent governor and questioned the management of state resources.
Adeyanju said Governor Ademola Adeleke impressed him the most during the town hall session because he attempted to account for some of the projects carried out by his administration.
He rated the town hall performance “60/40” in favour of Adeleke over the APC candidate.
Adeyanju also said Adeleke raised allegations of infractions by the APC, some of which he said had been discussed by social media users, particularly allegations that the party was interfering with the democratic process.
