FACT-CHECK: Fadahunsi’s Viral Remarks Do Not Match Claim That He Ordered Action Against Non-APC Voters
BY: Mustapha Lawal
Claim:
A viral video shows Senator Francis Fadahunsi instructing his supporters to monitor voters and “do the needful” if they do not vote for the APC.
Verdict:
MISLEADING! FactCheckAfrica found that the viral caption does not accurately reflect the words heard in the video. However, Fadahunsi’s remarks and accompanying gestures appear to encourage supporters to monitor where voters thumbprint on the ballot, which is inconsistent with the secrecy of the ballot and electoral regulations.
Full Text:
A video involving Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, is circulating widely on WhatsApp and other social media platforms, including X, Facebook and Instagram, as voting continues in the Osun State governorship election.
The video is being shared with captions alleging that Fadahunsi was “captured on camera instructing his supporters to monitor voters and do the ‘needful’ if they do not vote for APC.”
The claim has attracted attention against the backdrop of heightened political tension in Osun and previous controversy surrounding comments attributed to the senator ahead of the election.
FactCheckAfrica reviewed the circulating video and listened carefully to the statement made by Fadahunsi.
Verification:
In the video FactCheckAfrica reviewed, Fadahunsi speaks in Yoruba. A loose transcription of the relevant portion is:
“Ẹ má wo nkan tí wọ́n tẹ. Ẹni tó bá ti tẹ nkan tí kò yẹ kó tẹ, kì í ṣe ọmọ Ijesha.”
The statement can be loosely understood as an instruction to “look at what they thumbprinted”, followed by a remark suggesting that an Ijesha person who did not thumbprint in the expected place was not a true son or daughter of Ijesha.
The exact wording and context should be interpreted cautiously, particularly because the statement is in Yoruba and some expressions can carry contextual meanings that are difficult to capture through a literal translation.
However, the words heard in the video do not support the specific claim that Fadahunsi instructed supporters to “do the needful” against voters who did not vote for the APC. That wording appears to have been added by those who circulated the video rather than being a direct quotation from the portion reviewed by FactCheckAfrica.
There is, however, another important issue with the video.
The statement appears to encourage people to observe where voters thumbprint on their ballot papers. Depending on the context and intended meaning, such monitoring could undermine the secrecy of voting.
Nigeria’s electoral process requires voters to cast their ballots in a manner that protects the secrecy of their choice. The polling booth is intended to provide voters with privacy when marking their ballot, and other persons should not be positioned to determine how an individual has voted.
This is particularly important because a voter should be able to choose a candidate without fear of intimidation, retaliation or pressure from political parties, supporters or other individuals at the polling unit.
The difference between the viral caption and the video
There are therefore two separate issues that should not be conflated.
First, the viral caption claims that Fadahunsi explicitly instructed supporters to monitor voters and “do the needful” if they failed to vote for the APC. FactCheckAfrica did not find those words in the portion of the video reviewed.
Second, the senator’s actual remarks appear to encourage supporters to observe where voters thumbprint. His body language and gestures also appear to reinforce the instruction.
That conduct raises a legitimate electoral-integrity concern even though it does not establish the more serious allegation contained in the viral caption.
This distinction matters in fact-checking. A claim can contain an underlying concern that deserves scrutiny while still inaccurately describing what was actually said.
Context of earlier Fadahunsi controversy
The video also comes amid earlier controversy involving Fadahunsi’s comments ahead of the election. Earlier in August, a separate video of the senator addressing supporters in Ilesa generated widespread controversy after reports interpreted his remarks as a threat against members of the Accord Party. Sahara Reporters reported that he told supporters that if they saw Accord Party members in Ilesa before the election, they should kill them.
The controversy prompted calls for his arrest and investigation, including from the Imole Campaign Council.
Fadahunsi has subsequently sought to clarify the earlier remarks, saying that his statement was misunderstood and that he meant supporters should defeat political opponents “with their votes.” A video of his clarification is available in reports circulated by Channels Television.
The earlier controversy provides important context for why the latest video has attracted significant attention, but it does not change what can be established from the latest recording itself.
Conclusion:
The claim that Senator Francis Fadahunsi was captured instructing his supporters to monitor voters and “do the needful” if they did not vote for the APC is MISLEADING. FactCheckAfrica’s review found that the specific phrase “do the needful” and the accompanying allegation of action against voters are not supported by the words heard in the video.
However, Fadahunsi appears to tell supporters to observe where voters thumbprint, and his gestures appear consistent with that instruction. Such conduct is concerning because it could compromise the secrecy of the ballot and expose voters to pressure or intimidation. The viral caption therefore overstates what was said, but the underlying video raises a genuine electoral-integrity concern that should not be dismissed.
