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• Seeks new rules for off-cycle elections •Wabara: Adeleke’s victory triumph of people’s will
From Fred Itua, Abuja and Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that the growing practice of serving governors, senior political office holders and party leaders descending on states during off-cycle elections with large entourages and heavy security details could threaten Nigeria’s democracy if left unchecked.
Jonathan, in a statement on the recent Osun governorship election, said the increasing deployment of political power and government influence during elections was capable of creating an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation and undue pressure, warning that the practice should not be allowed to become the norm in the country’s electoral system.
He therefore called on the National Peace Committee to convene a national stakeholders’ engagement to establish clear boundaries and acceptable standards for the conduct of political actors during off-cycle elections.
The former president, while commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, political parties and the people of Osun State for what he described as the peaceful conduct of the election, said developments surrounding the poll had raised broader concerns about the future of Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
According to him, the pattern witnessed around the recent elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states was unusual and should not become normal in a democratic society.
Jonathan said political parties had every right to campaign, mobilise supporters and deploy legitimate party structures, but warned that the overwhelming presence of serving governors, senior public officials and influential political actors from outside the state on election day could cross the line into intimidation and political bullying.
He said: “There is a point at which political mobilisation, particularly when it involves the overwhelming presence of serving governors, senior public officials and powerful political actors from across the country on election day, can create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation, bullying and undue pressure.”
The former president recalled that similar situations occurred during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections while he was president.
He said after being briefed about the mobilisation of senior political leaders to the states, he ordered party leaders and senior government officials to leave the affected states.
Jonathan warned that if the current practice became entrenched, governors and political leaders from opposing parties could begin to descend on every state holding a competitive election, resulting in a dangerous cycle of political power matching political power and mobilisation confronting counter-mobilisation.
He said such a development could transform elections from peaceful contests for the mandate of the people into battles for political survival. The former president said the issue should not be reduced to a partisan dispute over the Osun election, but should be treated as a national question requiring urgent attention.
“Those of us who have occupied public office must recognise that our conduct carries a greater responsibility. The power and influence attached to public office should be used to strengthen democratic institutions, not to create apprehension among political opponents or citizens,” he said.
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Jonathan consequently urged the National Peace Committee to bring together the leadership of registered political parties, INEC, security agencies, National Assembly leaders, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigeria Governors’ Forum, civil society organisations and the media for a national conversation on political conduct during elections.
He said the National Peace Committee was particularly suited to lead the process because of the confidence and moral authority it had built in bringing political leaders together during periods of national tension.
Jonathan said the objective should be to establish clear boundaries and expectations for political conduct before practices considered unusual today become accepted as normal in future elections.
Meanwhile, former Senate President and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, described Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the Osun governorship election as a triumph of the people’s will over what he called federal might, intimidation and political overreach.
Adeleke contested the election on the Accord platform.
Wabara said the outcome demonstrated that political mobilisation and the deployment of federal power could not permanently suppress the will of determined voters.
He commended the people of Osun for, according to him, resisting intimidation and standing firmly behind their preferred candidate.
“Osun people have written their names in gold in the history of Nigerian democracy. They demonstrated uncommon courage and resilience by refusing to be intimidated or stampeded into surrendering their democratic rights,” Wabara said.
He said the outcome should serve as a lesson ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging Nigerians to not only vote according to their conscience but also remain vigilant to protect their votes through the collation process.
According to him, voting was only one part of democratic responsibility, stressing that citizens must also defend the integrity of their ballots through peaceful democratic vigilance.
Wabara said the Osun outcome had shown that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was not invincible, despite its access to enormous political and governmental resources. “This is not a call for confrontation. It is a call for democratic vigilance, civic courage and the peaceful defence of the people’s mandate,” he said.
He also urged opposition political parties to work towards greater unity ahead of the 2027 presidential election, arguing that a united opposition would be better positioned to challenge the ruling party.
