One Week, Eight Major Gaffes

Nigeria’s 2027 general and presidential election campaign season opened with eight notable political gaffes, rather than memorable speeches, detailed programmes or attractive campaign promises, according to ThisDay columnist Mahmud Jega.

One of the earliest controversies involved Senator Francis Fadahunsi of Osun East, an APC chieftain who led supporters to the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland. He said the march protested the killing of party members before the Osun governorship election. The action followed a shooting in the Imo area of Ilesa that killed three people.

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Political and metaphorical

Fadahunsi blamed members of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s Accord Party and used language that appeared to threaten violence. After a video of the remarks went viral, police invited him to explain them. Appearing on live television, the senator said his words were “political and metaphorical” and meant that supporters should defeat Accord at the ballot box, not attack its members. He added, “If you listen to me very well, I didn’t say it in English, so you cannot interpret it in English. I told them that this shows that they are weak, this shows that they cannot win. They should shut them down with their votes.”

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If you listen to me very well, I didn’t say it in English, so you cannot interpret it in English. I told them that this shows that they are weak, this shows that they cannot win. They should shut them down with their votes.

His media office later described the remarks as “a call on supporters to overwhelmingly reject the Accord Party at the ballot box through lawful, peaceful and democratic means during the August 15 governorship election.”

Borno State Commissioner of Youths, Sports and Poverty Alleviation Saina Buba then threatened to cut off the finger of anyone who pointed at government officials. At a City Boy Movement empowerment programme in Maiduguri, he also said APC voters would receive honey while those who refused to support the party would be caned. Buba initially refused to apologize, but changed his position after police headquarters said it would investigate him and two others over incendiary remarks. He subsequently apologized.

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A call on supporters to overwhelmingly reject the Accord Party at the ballot box through lawful, peaceful and democratic means during the August 15 governorship election.