With barely 48 hours to the Osun governorship election, the Chairman of Accord Party in the state, Pastor Victor Akande, on Thursday, filed direct criminal complaint against Senator Francis Fadahunsi.
Also, the direct Criminal Complaints were filed on behalf of the complainants by A. A Ahmed Esq., of the law firm of MT Adekilekun, SAN, – The Law Lounge
In the process he filed before the Osun State Magistrate Court, the Accord Chairman maintained that the lawmaker had sometime on August 11, during a rally organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC), seen in a video, issuing threats that could lead to violence and killing of members of the Accord Party in the state.
He told the court that the lawmaker specifically directed that any person seen with an Accord Party cap before the date of the election should be killed, “a direction that persons present at the rally were excited about and eager to carry out.”
He added that the lawmaker further directed that the video be widely circulated so that many more people would be aware of the directive.
The Accord Party Chairman insisted that Senator Fadahunsi’s statements amounted to uttering “seditious words, which has not only caused discontent and disaffection against the people of Osun State but has also promoted feelings of ill-will and hostility between different classes of the population of Osun State and Nigeria.”
He said: “Many of the complainant’s supporters and other Accord Party have seen the video and have become scared for their lives about the threat to their lives.
“The complainant’s supporters had vowed to also engage in attacks rather than sitting down idly and be attacked and intimidation.
“However, the complainant has succeeded in persuading his supporters to remain calm and allow the law to take its course.
“Since this threatening seditious publication made by the suspect, the complainant, being the number one Accord Party member in Osun State, his family and all, his supporters have been living in fear. and apprehension for their lives, they have been unable to go about their lawful businesses, canvass for votes and interface with the populace as they would ordinarily have done when an election of this magnitude is approaching.
“The ilfe of the complainant and all the Accord Party members are now in imminent danger as a result of conscious and direct threat from the suspect and if this complaint is not attended to with timeously, the suspect will carry out his barbaric threat in this modern democracy where rule of law is the order of the day.
“The video is attached to this complaint, while other material evidence will be made available during trial of this case.
“Based on the above, we humbly implore the Honourable court to invoke its inherent power to intervene in this case and bring the suspect to book so that his murderous threats will not be carried out and the damage already caused by the seditious words uttered by him will not be allowed to fester.
“Furthermore, the actions of the suspect are capable of further endangering the lives of the complainant and the Accord Members in the constituency and in Osun State at large.
“The intervention of this Honourable Court will also help in forestalling any possible reprisal attack from the members of Accord Party which might lead to the breakdown of law and order in Osun State.
“We urge you to use your good offices to deal with this complaint with dispatch,” the court process further read.
Aside from Senator Fadahunsi, a similar direct criminal complaint was also lodged against the House of Representatives candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Damilare Eniade, for allegedly inciting violence against Accord Party members.
A separate case was lodged against Eniade by the Chairman of Accord Party in Ilesa East Local Government of Osun State, Hon. Fatogun Seyi.
Both Senator Fadahunsi and the House of Reps candidate were accused of “uttering seditious words contrary to sections 50 and 51 of the Osun State Criminal Code.”