By Henry Umoru
ABUJA — The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has described the outcome of the Osun State governorship election as a political warning to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the result demonstrated that voters could overcome political structures and incumbency when determined to exercise their franchise.
National Chairman of the SDP, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, stated this on Monday in Abuja while presenting the party’s assessment of the August 15 governorship election.
Gombe said the election had shown that Nigerians were increasingly prepared to use their votes to challenge what they considered poor governance, adding that the outcome had exposed the limits of incumbency, political influence and resources in determining electoral outcomes.
According to him, the Osun election also provided important lessons for opposition political parties, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said one of the most significant lessons from the election was that the distinction between “big” and “small” political parties mattered less when voters had made up their minds about their preferred candidate.
“The people of Osun have taught Nigerians a great lesson,” Gombe said, arguing that electoral victory ultimately depended on voters’ confidence rather than the size or structure of a political party.
‘APC can be defeated’
Gombe said the Osun result should serve as a warning to the APC that its continued hold on power could not be taken for granted ahead of 2027.
“It is a warning signal to the ruling party to know that they are not sacrosanct. They will be defeated,” he said.
He said Osun voters remained resolute despite extensive mobilisation by political actors and the deployment of substantial resources, urging Nigerians in other states to draw lessons from the election.
The SDP also used the outcome to question the effectiveness of the ongoing opposition coalition debate, noting that several opposition parties that had advocated a common front against the APC contested the Osun election separately.
Gombe said that despite the absence of a single opposition candidate, voters were able to rally behind a candidate they believed could defeat the ruling party.
He said the development raised questions about whether opposition parties necessarily needed to wait for elite-driven alliances before challenging the APC.
According to him, the Osun electorate had demonstrated that voters could effectively create a coalition at the ballot box.
“The people in themselves decided to say, ‘This is the way we are going to go. We will make sure the opposition wins the election,’” he said.
The SDP chairman urged opposition leaders considering a 2027 alliance to place the national interest above personal political ambitions.
He said the party’s presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, possessed the competence, character and understanding required to lead Nigeria, adding that the SDP remained committed to building a broad “coalition of the Nigerian people.”
Gombe said the objective was to unite Nigerians beyond ethnic, religious and regional considerations and promote leadership that placed the national interest above personal and sectional interests.
SDP commends INEC
Gombe commended INEC for its handling of the Osun election, saying the process had helped restore some confidence in the electoral system.
He urged the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, and the commission’s leadership to sustain what he described as the standard demonstrated during the election.
Gombe said Nigerians, political parties and the international community would be watching the commission closely as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
“If INEC does the right thing, Nigerians need to come out in unison and applaud and encourage INEC so that they can be able to do what is right,” he said.
However, the SDP raised concerns about the scale of security and administrative deployment during the Osun election and questioned whether a similar model could be replicated across the country during the 2027 general elections.
Gombe noted that the 30 local government areas in Osun had significant security and administrative deployment, with senior police officers assigned to oversee the election.
He questioned whether such a level of deployment would be feasible across the 774 local government areas during the general elections, stressing the need for urgent planning.
The SDP chairman also expressed concern over the involvement of governors and other political office holders in the Osun election, alleging that some senior political figures deployed political structures and resources in the contest.
The party called on security agencies to enforce existing regulations governing the movement and activities of political actors on election day.
It also argued that governors should not abandon their states to participate in electioneering activities elsewhere, particularly where their presence could create concerns about an uneven playing field.
Gombe said the Osun experience demonstrated that political mobilisation and financial inducements should not be allowed to override the will of voters.
‘Voters must reject inducement’
The SDP chairman urged voters not to surrender their political choices to inducements, calling on them to exercise their constitutional rights according to their conscience.
He said the Osun election had shown that financial inducements did not necessarily guarantee electoral victory.
Gombe particularly challenged voters in northern states, which he said had faced serious socioeconomic and security challenges, to draw lessons from Osun and participate actively in the 2027 elections.
He mentioned Zamfara, Katsina, Borno and Sokoto among the states whose voters, he said, should use their votes to demand accountability from elected officials.
“If the people of Osun come out and do what they did to rescue their country, then the people of Zamfara, Katsina, Maiduguri, Sokoto are better placed to come out and do much, much more,” he said.
Gombe maintained that the significance of the Osun election went beyond the victory of an individual candidate or political party.
According to him, the election demonstrated that Nigerian voters could organise around a preferred candidate even when political parties and their leaders failed to forge a common opposition platform.
He urged all opposition parties preparing for 2027 to take the lesson seriously.
“The opposition leaders will learn from Osun and allow a transparent process,” he said, stressing that any coalition should be based on competence, character, capacity and commitment to Nigeria rather than personal political ambition.
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