Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has described the defeat of the All Progressives Congress in the Osun State governorship election as a sign that democratic values are becoming more firmly established in Nigeria.
Sanwo-Olu spoke on Thursday at the seventh annual lecture organised by Freedom Online at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, where he discussed the country’s democratic progress and preparations for the 2027 general elections, according to PM News.
He pointed to the August 15 Osun governorship election, in which incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, contesting under another political party, defeated the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, by more than 60,000 votes.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the result demonstrated that political power could be transferred through the ballot without threatening the democratic order.
He said, “There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony.
“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.”
The Lagos governor described President Bola Tinubu as a lifelong democrat, saying the President was determined to strengthen the country’s democratic institutions and leave behind a more resilient system than the one he inherited.
“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,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Tinubu had congratulated Adeleke following the Osun election, describing his victory as a “fitting assurance” that democracy would continue to flourish under his administration. The President subsequently received Adeleke at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and called on him to unite the state.
Sanwo-Olu further welcomed ongoing electoral reforms and the deployment of technology in elections but emphasised the need for the Independent National Electoral Commission to be adequately prepared for the 2027 polls.
“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.
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He also cautioned politicians against resorting to violence or electoral malpractice, stressing that political ambitions should never 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 urged Nigerians to judge political leaders by their records in office, while asking the media to scrutinise politicians and demand accountability irrespective of party affiliation.
“I am not asking for a compliant press,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“A compliant press is of no use to a democracy; it flatters the powerful and abandons the public.
“I am asking for a rigorous press. Check the facts, mine included. Call out disinformation wherever it comes from, including from my own side.”
Sanwo-Olu also raised concerns about the growing influence of misinformation and manipulated media ahead of the 2027 elections, warning that false narratives could increasingly be spread through anonymous social media accounts and altered videos.
“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,” he said.