PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: The victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke in the 2026 Osun State governorship election has shown that political power and incumbency do not automatically determine electoral outcomes, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has said.
Eze, a former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), said the result demonstrated the ability of voters to influence political outcomes when they participate actively in elections and remain vigilant in protecting their votes.
Adeleke, who contested under the Accord platform, was declared winner of the August 15 election after polling 511,067 votes, defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes.
Reacting to the result in a statement made available to the media, Eze congratulated Adeleke and the people of Osun State, describing the outcome as what he called “God’s victory” and a demonstration of the electorate’s power.
He said the election offered lessons for Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly on the importance of participation and vigilance at the polling booth and during the collation and declaration of results.
According to Eze, the Osun outcome should encourage voters who believe that their ballots can influence the direction of government despite the strength of established political structures.
“This victory is a victory of light over darkness. It is a victory that belongs principally to God and to the people of Osun State who refused to surrender their democratic rights,” he said.
Eze argued that the result should also prompt political leaders to reconsider the assumption that control of government machinery necessarily guarantees electoral victory.
He congratulated Adeleke on his re-election and urged the governor to treat the renewed mandate as a responsibility to justify the confidence placed in him by Osun voters.
The ADC chieftain linked the development to an earlier argument by the party’s 2027 vice-presidential candidate, former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, that the APC could be defeated if Nigerians turned out to vote and protected the integrity of their ballots.
Amaechi was formally selected by the ADC as the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for the 2027 election.
Eze said the Osun election had given practical context to that position, describing the result as evidence that an incumbent-backed political structure could be challenged through the ballot.
“Amaechi had earlier made the point that the APC can be defeated in 2027 if Nigerians come out, vote and protect their votes. Osun has now demonstrated that this is not merely political rhetoric. It is achievable,” he said.
He consequently urged voters across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to pay close attention to the 2027 electoral process and exercise their constitutional rights without intimidation.
Eze said the significance of Osun extended beyond Adeleke, Accord or the APC, arguing that the election had reinforced what he described as the ability of voters to determine political outcomes.
He urged Nigerians to remain peaceful and vigilant, particularly in protecting their ballots and demanding accountability from elected officials.
Turning to President Bola Tinubu and the APC, Eze said the Osun result should not be dismissed as an isolated development, arguing that it could influence political calculations ahead of 2027.
He said the result should encourage the ruling party and other political actors to reassess their strategies as Nigerians prepare for the next general election.
Eze also urged Adeleke to approach the new term with caution, particularly regarding political alignments ahead of 2027.
He said any decision by the governor to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid, if he chooses to do so, should take into consideration what Eze described as the expectations of voters who supported Adeleke in the Osun election.
He further criticised the Tinubu administration’s record, saying he believed the president could face a strong challenge at the 2027 polls if voters decide that his government has not met their expectations.
Those assessments are Eze’s political views and were presented in the statement as his interpretation of the Osun result and its possible implications for 2027.
He called on Nigerians to approach the next general election with what he described as courage, vigilance and a commitment to making independent choices at the ballot box.
“Osun has spoken. Nigerians should listen,” Eze said. “The people, not political godfathers, must decide who governs Nigeria.”
The ADC chieftain said the Osun result had strengthened his belief that the 2027 election could become another major test of the electorate’s ability to influence the political direction of the country.
