Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East Senatorial District, has denied directing his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party and their family members, insisting that a viral video of his campaign speech was edited to distort his remarks.

Fadahunsi made the clarification on Wednesday after being questioned by the police at the Osun State Police Command headquarters in Osogbo over the controversial video, which has stirred tensions ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

The senator, who arrived at the command at about 2:35 p.m., said he told investigators that his reference to “killing” Accord members was political language, meaning that his supporters should defeat the party with their votes rather than attack anyone physically.

“Well, we have met, and I have told them what I said, not the one manipulated by mischievous interpreters of our language,” Fadahunsi told journalists after the closed-door session at the Criminal Investigation Department.

He argued that the full recording of his speech, which he said lasted about 38 minutes, would provide the context missing from the version circulating online.

“We said, come Saturday, election, we will kill them with our votes,” he said, insisting that his words had been taken out of context and misinterpreted.

Fadahunsi said he intended to explore legal options over what he described as the manipulation and dissemination of the video.

The controversy has intensified political tensions in Osun, where the August 15 governorship election is being closely watched amid concerns over violence and voter intimidation.

Fadahunsi also alleged that recent killings in his senatorial district were intended to frighten voters and prevent them from turning out to support the All Progressives Congress.

He maintained that his comments were made in the context of what he described as attacks on APC members by suspected thugs in Ilesa and other parts of the state.

The controversy had earlier drawn strong condemnation from Governor Ademola Adeleke, who accused Fadahunsi of inciting violence and “genocide” against members of the Accord Party.

Adeleke called for a thorough investigation and demanded the senator’s immediate arrest, describing the reported comments as a national security threat.

Amnesty International also weighed into the controversy on Wednesday, calling on the authorities to hold Fadahunsi accountable over the remarks attributed to him.

The rights organisation described the comments as capable of inciting violence ahead of the election and urged authorities to act against statements advocating violence.

The police, however, said their investigation remained ongoing.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu Okokon, confirmed that Fadahunsi had been interrogated and said the outcome of the investigation would be made public after its conclusion.

He also assured residents that adequate security measures had been deployed across Osun to protect voters and election officials during Saturday’s election.