Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the recent Osun State governorship election as a demonstration that organised, peaceful resistance by citizens can overcome electoral intimidation, urging that the lessons from the contest be carried into Nigeria’s 2027 general Elections.
Writing in a commentary published by BusinessDay, Abubakar, who was the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the last election cycle, said the most significant outcome in Osun was that the will of the people prevailed despite what he characterised as the deployment of military personnel and a political occupation force by the ruling All Progressives Congress administration.
“Despite the desperation of the ruling party to intimidate voters, the people of Osun organised themselves formidably to defend their votes,” Abubakar wrote. “If voters can organise themselves, resist intimidation and vote according to their convictions, as we witnessed in Osun, there is hope that this courage can be replicated across the country in the 2027 elections.”
The former vice president argued that Osun voters had inspired other Nigerians to understand they can peacefully defend their mandate, proving that voices count when citizens stand firm. However, he warned that hidden dangers and institutional loopholes must be addressed if future elections are to reflect the genuine will of the electorate.
Abubakar called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to resist any attempt to compromise its independence or manipulate the electoral process, insisting that results must be transmitted and declared in accordance with the law without administrative failures or technological excuses undermining voters’ choices.
He equally urged security agencies to remember that elections are civil exercises, not military operations, and that their responsibility is to protect voters, officials and materials — not to intimidate citizens or provide partisan advantage.
On the judiciary, Abubakar said courts must never allow themselves to become instruments of the federal government, the presidency or any political interest seeking to achieve through judicial manipulation what cannot be won at the ballot box. “Once citizens begin to believe that electoral outcomes can be overturned, manufactured or predetermined through political influence over the courts, public confidence in both democracy and the rule of law is imperilled,” he wrote.
Ultimately, Abubakar placed the greatest responsibility on Nigerian citizens, arguing that democracy cannot be defended by politicians alone. “It will be defended by citizens who insist that their votes count, demand that public institutions obey the law and refuse to surrender their sovereign right to choose those who govern them,” he said.
The commentary comes amid heightened debate over electoral reform and institutional independence ahead of the next electoral cycle, with stakeholders across the political spectrum calling for stronger safeguards against intimidation, vote-buying and institutional capture.
