Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the outcome of the Osun State governorship election as a strong indication of what Nigerians should expect in the 2027 general elections, following Governor Ademola Adeleke’s decisive victory at the polls.
In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the opposition party said the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reflected the determination of Osun voters to defend the integrity of their votes despite what it alleged were attempts by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the election.
According to the PDP, the victory was secured through “a high cost of strong will, vigilance and resistance by the people of Osun State against the entire rigging machinery of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who were desirous of winning the state at all costs.”
The party alleged that the APC deployed every available strategy to reclaim the state but was resisted by voters who ensured that “the sanctity of the ballot” prevailed.
It further claimed that incidents of intimidation, arrests of opposition members and other developments before and during the election were part of efforts to influence the outcome.
The statement read: “That the APC wanted Osun, by fair or foul means, was not in doubt to anyone, which accounts for the unceasing intimidation, assault and arrests of opposition politicians, the ‘kill them’ directive by Senator Francis Fadahunsi and the performative invitation by the police, and his subsequent release to participate in the elections.”
The PDP also expressed concern over what it described as the conduct of some national institutions during the election.
It stated: “We must warn that the failure of national institutions to maintain unambiguous neutrality is dangerous and anti-democratic. The manifest partiality of security agencies, especially the police, and even the shameful intervention by the EFCC freezing the accounts of the state; and the intentional delay (more than two hours) in uploading the results of the 470 polling units by INEC, are acts that are not just condemnable but are actions capable of derailing democracy.”
While commending Osun residents for what it described as their resilience, the PDP urged Nigerians to remain vigilant as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
The party said citizens must not become complacent, warning that political actors could seek new ways to undermine the electoral process.
It added: “While we commend the resilience of the electorate in Osun, we urge Nigerians not to rest on their oars as the 2027 elections approach. Nigerians must vote, protect and defend their votes. They must not think that having failed in Osun, the APC and its accomplices in the critical national institutions will repent of their ill deeds; they will rather seek to learn from the failings in Osun, to perfect their dark art of subverting the wishes of the people.”
Looking ahead to the next general election, the PDP maintained that the Osun result reflected growing public dissatisfaction with the APC-led Federal Government.
The statement said: “Overall, the result from Osun is an advance payment by Nigerians against the APC, the balance will come in 2027, when Nigerians will send packing the most ineffective and destructive political class in the history of Nigeria, post-independence.”
Reaffirming its commitment to credible elections, the PDP stressed that election outcomes must always reflect the genuine choice of voters.
It concluded: “Election results must be reflective of the wishes of the people freely expressed through the ballot and not the enforcement of the whims and caprices of a privileged minority of oppressors. And to achieve this, Nigerians must never forget that the price for eternal freedom is vigilance.”