Former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has described the outcome of the Osun State governorship election as evidence that Nigerians can defend their votes and resist intimidation when they act collectively.
Atiku, in a statement posted on Thursday on his social media handles, said the election had demonstrated that “the will of the people” could prevail despite alleged attempts by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to intimidate voters.
His statement came days after Governor Ademola Adeleke was declared winner of the Osun governorship election held on Saturday.
Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, secured victory in 19 of the 30 local government areas, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who won in 11 local government areas.
Reflecting on the election, Atiku said, “The Osun election has come and gone. Its most significant outcome is that the will of the people prevailed despite the shenanigans of the ruling APC administration, including the deployment of military personnel on the one hand and a political occupation force on the other.”
He said the ability of Osun voters to organise and protect their votes was the most significant lesson from the election, arguing that the same spirit could be replicated across Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Despite the desperation of the ruling party to intimidate voters, the people of Osun organised themselves formidably to defend their votes. To me, that is perhaps the most important lesson from the governorship election,” he said.
According to Atiku, if Nigerians organise themselves, resist intimidation and vote according to their convictions, the 2027 elections could provide a stronger demonstration of the power of citizens in a democracy.
“If voters can organise themselves, resist intimidation and vote according to their convictions, as we witnessed in Osun, there is hope that this courage can be replicated across the country in the 2027 elections,” he said.
He added that Osun voters had shown Nigerians that citizens could peacefully defend their votes and ensure that their voices were heard.
“At the end of the day, in a democracy, power resides with the people, and Osun voters have sent that message resoundingly,” Atiku stated.
However, the former vice president warned that the lessons from Osun should not obscure what he described as institutional weaknesses capable of undermining future elections.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to protect its independence and ensure that the electoral process was transparent, insisting that administrative failures, technological challenges or deliberate obstruction must not be allowed to alter the choices of voters.
“INEC must therefore resist every attempt to compromise its independence or manipulate the electoral process,” Atiku said.
The former vice president also cautioned security agencies against becoming involved in partisan politics, stressing that elections should be treated as civil exercises rather than military operations.
“The security agencies must equally remember that elections are civil exercises, not military operations,” he said, adding that their responsibility was to protect voters, electoral officials and materials rather than intimidate citizens or provide political advantage to any party.
Atiku also turned his attention to the judiciary, urging judges to protect their independence and resist political interference.
“The judiciary remains one of the last institutional safeguards of our democracy,” he said, warning that public confidence in democracy and the rule of law would be endangered if citizens believed electoral outcomes could be “overturned, manufactured or predetermined through political influence over the courts.”
He said judges must “defend their independence with courage” and resist attempts at intimidation, inducement or interference.
According to Atiku, the ultimate responsibility for protecting democracy rests with Nigerians themselves, who must insist that their votes count and demand accountability from public institutions.
“Osun has demonstrated that when citizens are determined, organised and peaceful, intimidation can be resisted and political power can be compelled to respect the popular will,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to carry the spirit of the Osun election into the 2027 elections, saying democracy could not be defended by politicians alone.
“That spirit must now travel beyond Osun,” he stated.
Atiku added: “Osun has shown what is possible when the people refuse to be intimidated.”
“The message from Osun is therefore bigger than the outcome of one election: the power of the people can still be greater than the power of the state when citizens are united in defence of their democratic rights,” he said.
