The African Democratic Congress (ADC) congratulates the Governor of Osun State, Senator. Ademola Adeleke, on his decisive victory in Saturday’s governorship election.
The ADC also commends the people of Osun State for their courage, resilience and determination to defend their democratic choice in the face of what appeared to be overwhelming political pressure, intimidation and the massive deployment of state resources.
This victory is not merely a victory for Governor Adeleke. It is a victory for the people of Osun State, for democracy and for opposition leaders and supporters who came together to defend the will of the electorate.
The election has once again demonstrated a fundamental truth: no political machine, however powerful, can permanently defeat a determined people who have made up their minds about the future they want.
The scale of political mobilisation by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun was unprecedented. More than 30 governors, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, federal and state legislators and numerous senior government officials were mobilised in an extraordinary show of political strength.
Yet, despite the enormous political and governmental machinery deployed, the people of Osun stood firm and made their choice.
They have sent a powerful message to Nigeria: government may control institutions and deploy enormous resources, but it cannot control the minds and conscience of the people.
The ADC particularly commends the opposition forces, civil society actors, election monitors and ordinary citizens who remained vigilant and determined to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
The heavy security presence and reports of arrests, intimidation and violence could easily have discouraged voters. Instead, they reinforced the determination of the people to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
INEC MUST EXPLAIN IREV INTERRUPTION
However, while the ADC celebrates the outcome of the election, we cannot ignore a disturbing development that occurred during the collation and transmission of results.
The ADC calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide a comprehensive explanation for the reported interruption in the uploading of election results on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) for several hours on election night.
Our attention was drawn to reports that the uploading of results was interrupted at approximately 8:00 p.m., at a time when the results appeared to be increasingly unfavourable to the APC.
INEC must explain precisely what happened, who authorised the interruption, why it occurred and what measures were taken to ensure that the integrity of the results was not compromised.
The ADC is not asking INEC to explain this merely as a matter of partisan interest. Nigerians deserve transparency because confidence in the electoral process depends not only on the final result but also on the integrity and transparency of the process that produces it.
The reported interruption raises legitimate questions that cannot simply be dismissed because the election has produced a clear winner.
The ADC therefore urges INEC to make a full public disclosure of the circumstances surrounding the IReV interruption, including the technical and administrative reasons for the development.
The events in Osun should also serve as a warning ahead of the 2027 general elections. Any weakness in the electoral process that creates room for manipulation, confusion or loss of public confidence must be identified and addressed immediately.
A MESSAGE FOR 2027
The Osun election has demonstrated that Nigerians are not powerless.
It has shown that citizens do not have to accept bad governance as their permanent condition and that political change remains possible through the ballot box.
The ADC therefore calls on Nigerians to take the Osun lesson seriously. Democracy is not sustained by governments alone; it is protected by citizens who are prepared to vote, defend their votes and insist that their choices are respected.
The APC may control the machinery of government, but it cannot deploy that machinery inside the ballot box.
The people of Osun have spoken.
Their voice must be respected.
The time has come for Nigerians to reclaim their democracy and use the ballot box to demand accountable, competent and responsive government.
The ADC congratulates Governor Ademola Adeleke and the people of Osun State once again on this historic victory.
The people have spoken. Democracy has prevailed the party said in a statement by the spokesman Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
