A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its handling of the recently concluded Osun State governorship election.
Okonkwo, who appeared on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, said the electoral commission had failed to provide adequate explanation for the interruption in the uploading of polling-unit results to its Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
According to him, the development raised fresh concerns about the credibility of the electoral process despite the eventual declaration of Governor Ademola Adeleke as winner.
“I am not congratulating INEC whatsoever for what happened in Osun State,” Okonkwo said.
He questioned why the electronic transmission of results was suspended around 8pm on election day, stressing that the commission owed Nigerians an explanation.
He said, “By 8 p.m., they suspended the uploading of results on IReV, and nobody has come out to tell us why, and they must come out to tell us why.
“So there is still apprehension, and I’m telling you that the performance of INEC is not to be applauded. It is to be questioned.”
The ADC chieftain further urged opposition parties to strengthen their preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections, arguing that Nigeria’s electoral system still has significant shortcomings.
Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party, was declared winner of Saturday’s election after polling 511,067 votes.
His closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured 444,815 votes, while the ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
Despite the ADC’s third-place finish, Okonkwo described the party’s performance as encouraging, particularly because it contested without the backing of state or federal government machinery.
“Our performance was very commendable because we didn’t have the state apparatus in the state. We didn’t have the Federal Government apparatus,” he said.
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He maintained that the outcome demonstrated that opposition parties could make an impact despite operating without the institutional advantages enjoyed by incumbents.
Okonkwo also commended the people of Osun State for what he described as their resistance to intimidation and other forms of electoral pressure.
He congratulated Adeleke on his victory, describing the result as decisive and praising voters for defending their choices at the polls.
The ADC chieftain argued that the election had demonstrated that political power ultimately rests with voters.
According to him, the outcome showed that “the power of the people will always be greater than the people in power.”
Okonkwo further linked the Osun election to the opposition’s preparations for 2027, saying the poll could serve as an indication of what may happen if Nigerians remain determined to protect their votes.
He said the ability of voters to resist vote-buying, intimidation and other electoral malpractice would be critical to the credibility of future elections.
Adeleke, who was first elected governor of Osun State in 2022, will now serve another four-year term following his victory in the latest poll.