Youth groups and constituents across the Osun East Senatorial District staged a peaceful demonstration on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, to formally launch a recall process against the lawmaker representing the district in the National Assembly, Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi.
The protest follows allegations that the lawmaker made inciting statements during the buildup to the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
​The demonstration commenced in the morning as hundreds of protesters under the Coalition of Youth and Students with Concerned Citizens of Osun East Senatorial District converged at the Enuwa Roundabout in Ilesa.
Bearing placards and banners with various inscriptions, the crowd marched through the Isokun axis and the Ilesa Market Square before terminating the procession at the entrance gate of the Owa-Obokun Palace.
​Addressing journalists during the procession, the chief spokesperson for the coalition, Comrade Olorunfemi Olatunji, declared that the action marked the first phase of a constitutional recall process due to what he described as poor representation and anti-democratic behavior.
​”We, under the aegis of the Coalition of Youth and Students with Concerned Citizens of Osun East Senatorial District, are opposed to the reckless statement made by our senator before the election,” Olatunji stated.
“This protest is the first stage of our actions. We are recalling him back home, and we are going to Abuja. All the necessary lawful actions to recall him have been put together, which we will commence in a few days. We have filed the petition and are following it with action”.
​Also speaking at the venue, the Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Comrade Akinbode Olakolupo, called on law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate the federal lawmaker.
​”We demand a transparent, impartial, and credible investigation into all credible allegations of incitement, threats, killings, and political violence connected to the electoral process by Senator Fadahunsi,” Olakolupo said. He further urged security agencies to intensify operations to recover illegal firearms from political thugs across Ijesaland to prevent further violence.
​The controversy stems from a viral video recorded prior to the August governorship election, where Senator Fadahunsi allegedly charged supporters during a rally to attack political opponents. Following public outcry, the senator was invited and interrogated at the State Criminal Investigation Department (State CID) of the Osun State Police Command in Osogbo before being granted bail.
​Refuting the allegations, Senator Fadahunsi dismissed the protest as a sponsored narrative orchestrated by political detractors. Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media, Pastor Sam-Segun Progress, the lawmaker claimed the video was doctored and maintained that no genuine constituent would demand his recall given his record in office.
​”Apart from the installation of transformers to ensure uninterrupted power supply, I have facilitated more than 400 job opportunities for my constituents,” Fadahunsi said via his media aide. “The protesters are sponsored by disgruntled individuals to spread a false narrative and mobilize youths who are fully aware of the monumental projects and democratic dividends I have brought to my district”.
​Despite the senator’s rebuttal, the coalition reiterated its commitment to submitting its recall petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the coming days.
