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A coalition of opposition political parties, youth organisations, political pressure groups and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure it delivers a credible election in 2027.
The coalition, while commending INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, security agencies, and President Bola Tinubu for their contributions to the success of the recent Osun governorship election, said the electoral body and the government must continue to ensure that the votes of the people count.
The coalition, which consists of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Arewa Consultative Youth Movement, Ohanaeze Youth Movement, Middle Belt Youth Forum, Oduduwa Consultative Youth Movement, PBAT Door-2-Door Movement and the African Center for Justice and Human Right (ACJHR), stated that the Osun governorship contest has shown that a credible election is possible.
Consequently, it charged INEC to consolidate on the success of the Osun governorship poll to ensure that the country has a more credible election in 2027.
The National Chairman of the APP, who spoke on behalf of the groups at a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja, also lauded security agencies for their contributions to the success of the Osun governorship contest.
According to the coalition, “the most important achievement of any election is not necessarily who wins or who loses. It is whether the people believe that they had a genuine opportunity to determine their leadership through the ballot.
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“The Osun experience provides an opportunity for the President and the Federal Government to establish a clear democratic precedent: that electoral power belongs ultimately to the Nigerian people, and that government must respect the sanctity of their votes.”
They added that “Osun has shown us what is possible. Now, Nigeria must build on it. There is therefore no justification for lowering the standard in 2027. Osun must not be an exception. Osun must become the benchmark.
“The 2027 elections must be conducted with an even higher standard of transparency, neutrality, professionalism and respect for the will of the people.”
Furthermore, the coalition noted that despite the success of the Osun poll, it is imperative for the electoral body and security agencies to draw necessary lessons from the election in their preparation for future elections.
“Every time an election is conducted more credibly than the one before it, our democracy becomes stronger. Every time a political leader accepts the will of the people, democracy becomes stronger. Every time an electoral umpire refuses to compromise the integrity of the ballot, democracy becomes stronger.
“And every time security agencies protect voters rather than intimidate them, democracy becomes stronger. And every time citizens insist that their votes must count, Nigeria becomes stronger,” they stated.
