The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) can lose a South-West state in an election under President Bola Tinubu without undermining Nigeria’s democracy, citing the recent Osun governorship election as an example.
Sanwo-Olu made the statement on Thursday at the Freedom Online’s seventh annual lecture in Ikeja, Lagos, where he spoke about Nigeria’s democratic development and the 2027 general elections.
The governor referred to the August 15 Osun governorship election, in which incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke defeated the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji. Adeleke won the election on the platform of another party, defeating Oyebamiji by more than 60,000 votes.
Sanwo-Olu said the outcome showed that the ruling party could lose an election under the Tinubu administration without the electoral system collapsing.
“Under this President, the ruling party can lose a state in the South-West in an election year, and the sky does not fall. That is what a maturing democracy looks like,” he said.
He also claimed Tinubu was a “lifelong democrat” and said the president was committed to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic system.
“There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor said changes to Nigeria’s electoral system, including the Electoral Act of 2022, the newly enacted Electoral Act of 2026 and the use of technology for voter verification and transmission of results, had contributed to improvements in the electoral process.
He, however, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to prepare adequately for the 2027 elections, stressing that the commission must be ready at every polling unit on the scheduled election dates.
“INEC must be ready in every polling unit on the 16th of January and again on the 6th of February, and each of us has a duty to help it be ready,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu also warned political parties and candidates against actions that could undermine the electoral process, saying political victories should not come at the cost of human lives.
“A mandate is only as strong as the process that produced it. No office in this land is worth the life of a single Nigerian and no victory won by the wrong means is a victory at all,” he said.
The governor further said voters would assess state governments based on their performance when deciding how to vote in 2027. He identified areas such as roads, healthcare and other basic services as issues that could influence voters’ decisions.
“Voters may not be economists, but they are excellent accountants. They know whether their State built the road it promised. They know whether the primary health centre has a nurse in it. They will bring that ledger with them to the polling unit,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He also urged the media to scrutinise political parties and government officials, including members of the APC, and to challenge misinformation during the election period.
“I am asking for a rigorous press. Check the facts, mine included. Call out disinformation wherever it comes from, including from my own side,” he said.
The Osun election has become a major reference point in discussions about the competitiveness of Nigeria’s 2027 elections after Adeleke secured re-election against the APC candidate. The result also followed Tinubu’s public acceptance of the outcome and his congratulatory message to Adeleke.
Sanwo-Olu’s comments come as political parties begin preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the performance of state governments, the conduct of INEC and the ability of parties to win voters expected to shape the contest.
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