The umbrella body of all registered parties in the country, the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has described Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in Saturday’s Osun State governorship elections as a victory for democracy and the rule of law.
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and the Tanimu Turaki-led camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the outcome of the election is a triumph of the will of the people over the rule of might, brightening the nation’s democratic landscape and foreshadowing the 2027 elections.
In separate statements in Abuja, they congratulated Governor Adeleke on his resounding victory, and Accord and the people of Osun State on their unwavering commitment to constitutional governance in the face of harassment, intimidation, arrests, killings and abuse of federal institutions to influence and compromise the election.
IPAC National Chairman, Mamman Dantalle, said, “The victory of Accord in this election is sweet music in the ears of all lovers of democracy in Nigeria. It demonstrates what happens when citizens resist anti-democratic forces that want to foist an unpopular candidate on the people to cause political upheavals that could scuttle the nation’s hard-earned democracy.
“As the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria that has the mandate of consolidating, deepening and strengthening the nation’s democracy, IPAC strongly condemned the political violence and interference by federal institutions ahead of the Osun gubernatorial election, and demanded a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive poll.
“Today, the people of Osun State have spoken with their votes and chosen their governor. This is democracy in action. IPAC urges all stakeholders to respect the will of the people. Council commends INEC, security agencies, civil society organisations, election observers and the international community for the parts they played in the success of this critical governorship election.
“IPAC will continue to contribute to creating an enabling environment for the conduct of successful elections in Nigeria. Together, we will restore electoral integrity and rebuild trust in the nation’s democracy system.”
Dantalle, who is also the National Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), congratulated “the people of Osun State for defying the political tension ahead of the election to vote for their preferred candidate and for protecting their votes. It’s the beauty of democracy.”
He said in an APM statement that “as a major stakeholder in the democratic process, APM has been in the vanguard for the enthronement of genuine democracy in Nigeria, where every vote is counted and counts in the overall result, and the clear mandate of the people is respected by all stakeholders, as happened in the Osun governorship election.”
“The unprecedented political violence in the election tested the resolve, commitment and dedication of Nigerians to democratic governance. Its success is a testament to citizens’ enormous capacity to resist reactionary forces that wanted to influence and truncate the election.”
“National interest supersedes partisan politics. Together, we will build a strong, united, stable, equitable and just democratic nation.”
In their own statement, signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Ini Emamobong, the Tanimu Turaki-led camp of the PDP applauded the results of the Osun election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, saying the victory came at a high cost of strong will, vigilance and resistance by the people of Osun State
According to him, the APC wanted Osun, a fact not in doubt to anyone, which explains the unceasing intimidation, assaults and arrests of opposition politicians, the “kill them” directive by Senator Francis Fadahunsi, the police’s performative invitation, and his subsequent release to participate in the elections.
He said, “The ruling party mobilised their entire machinery to Osun, with nothing left to chance, boasting that they will repeat the Edo experience, but the people of Osun State resisted their machinations and ensured the sanctity of the ballot.
“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 we commend the resilience of the electorate in Osun, we urge Nigerians not to rest on their laurels as the 2027 elections approach. Nigerians must vote, protect and defend their votes. 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 Nigeria’s post-independence history.
“Election results must reflect 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.”
Contribution: The Nation Online NG
