Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as his commitment to democratic principles, saying the recent Osun State governorship election showed that a ruling party could lose an election without interfering with the process.
Sanwo-Olu made the remarks on Thursday, September 3, during Freedom Online’s seventh annual lecture held at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos.
The governor, who spoke on Nigeria’s democracy, electoral reforms and preparations for the 2027 general elections, cited the August 15 Osun governorship poll as an example of Tinubu’s democratic credentials.
The election was won by incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of another political party, who defeated the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, by more than 60,000 votes.
Following the election, Tinubu congratulated Adeleke on his victory and described the outcome as an assurance that democracy would continue to thrive under his administration. The President later held a closed-door meeting with Adeleke at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and urged him to unite the state.
Sanwo-Olu said the development represented a significant departure from previous periods when opposition parties faced the influence of the party controlling the Federal Government.
“There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony,” he said.
“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.
“This President is a lifelong democrat, and he means to leave behind a stronger democracy than he inherited, not only for Nigerians but as an example to a continent that badly needs one.”
The Lagos governor also highlighted improvements in Nigeria’s electoral system, pointing to the Electoral Act of 2022, the newly enacted Electoral Act of 2026, as well as the use of technology for voter verification and the transmission of election results.
He, however, stressed that more needed to be done to ensure the Independent National Electoral Commission is fully prepared for the 2027 elections.
“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,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He urged political parties and candidates to avoid actions that could undermine the electoral process, stressing that no political position was worth the loss of a Nigerian life.
“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.
Sanwo-Olu further stated that state governors would play an important role in the 2027 elections, noting that voters would assess their performance before deciding who to support at the polls.
“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,” he said.
The governor also called on the media to remain independent and thorough in its coverage of political developments, urging journalists to hold politicians accountable regardless of their political affiliations.
“I am not asking for a compliant press. A compliant press is of no use to a democracy; it flatters the powerful and abandons the public,” he said.
“I am asking for a rigorous press. Check the facts, mine included. Call out disinformation wherever it comes from, including from my own side.
“In the weeks ahead, the most dangerous lies will not come from newspapers. They will come from anonymous accounts and doctored videos and you are the institution best placed to answer them.”
