During last Saturday’s governorship election in Osun state, a video trended online where some residents of Ward Okerewe 3, in Ife East Local Government Area of the state, on motorcycles, followed a minibus conveying election results to the collation centre. On noticing that the driver of the minibus was making phone calls while driving, the vigilant residents started yelling at him: “Drop that phone, you are carrying our votes and you are receiving calls. We are following you and monitoring you, end that call now”. The driver had no choice than to obey them. Another video surfaced online after the election showing a large number of Osun citizens as they trooped to the INEC collation centre in Osogbo, the state capital on Sunday morning at 2:00am to watch the process and protect their votes.

The incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke was later declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Many people have hailed the resilience of Osun voters in the midst of violence and their vigilance to protect their votes and ensure their votes counted. As the nation prepares for a general election next year, activists, lawyers, and other stakeholders have therefore tasked the Nigerian electorate to emulate Osun voters and protect their votes, saying the Osun experience was a signal to tyrants and a profound lesson in collective action. They described what happened in Osun last Saturday as a vital democratic strength and warned against complacency. Citing Osun as a template for 2027, they urged citizens to stay engaged until results are officially declared. While acknowledging the importance of protecting ballot integrity, they however insisted that such oversight must remain peaceful and lawful.

A democratic awakening — Prof Okaba

Professor Benjamin Okaba, a university don and immediate past President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), described the Osun experience as a profound lesson in citizenship and collective action. He said, “The reported vigilance of voters in Osun State is a welcome development and a powerful reminder that democracy is not sustained by institutions alone; it also depends on the active participation of citizens. When citizens become sufficiently conscious of the value of their votes and are prepared to lawfully monitor the electoral process, it becomes considerably more difficult for individuals or institutions to subvert the people’s mandate. The reported actions of Osun voters demonstrate an important principle: casting a ballot is only one stage of the electoral process; protecting the integrity of that ballot is another. To protect their votes, every voter should understand the voting and counting procedures and know what happens to the result after voting at the polling unit. Voters should remain present during the counting of votes, where it is safe and lawful to do so. The result announced at the polling unit should be carefully observed and documented through lawful means. Accredited party agents must be properly trained, remain vigilant, and obtain the appropriate result documentation. Citizens and civil society organisations should develop community-based monitoring mechanisms which should include peaceful observation, rapid reporting of irregularities, and proper documentation of incidents. The 2027 election, therefore, presents an opportunity for Nigerians to move beyond political apathy and embrace responsible civic participation. The future of Nigerian democracy cannot be left entirely to politicians and institutions. The people themselves must become active custodians of their democratic mandate. That, in my view, is the most important lesson we should draw from the vigilance witnessed in Osun.”

Osun voters taught Nigerians important lesson—Aborisade

A legal Legal practitioner and human rights activist, Mr Femi Aborisade said: “The people of Osun have demonstrated that citizens must not surrender their votes immediately after casting them. The vote belongs to the voter until the entire process of collation and declaration has been completed. If citizens simply vote and go home, leaving the subsequent stages of the electoral process entirely in the hands of politicians and electoral officials, they create room for manipulation. What the Osun people have shown is that citizens can protect their votes through vigilance. They have taught Nigerians an important lesson that voting is not enough; you must also be interested in what happens to your vote after you have cast it. Nigerians should replicate this level of vigilance in 2027. They should remain at their polling units, observe the counting of votes, ensure that the results are properly recorded and follow the results through the various stages of collation. However, this must be done peacefully and within the law. Protecting your vote does not mean attacking electoral officials, security personnel or other citizens. It means being vigilant, documenting irregularities and using lawful channels to challenge any attempt to manipulate the people’s mandate. Political parties also have a responsibility. They must train and deploy competent agents to every polling unit and ensure that those agents remain vigilant throughout the voting, counting and collation processes. If Nigerians across the country can demonstrate the same resilience, vigilance and determination witnessed in Osun, it will become much more difficult for anyone to manipulate the democratic will of the people in 2027. Democracy belongs to the people. Therefore, the people must be prepared to protect their votes peacefully, lawfully and collectively.”

A call for high turnout —Ufioma

Mr Ufioma State, Coordinator of Delta Democrats Forum, emphasised the importance of voter turnout as a safeguard against manipulation. He said, “The people of Osun have shown Nigerians that free, fair and credible election is possible in the country. All over the country, Nigerians should replicate what happened in Osun in the 2027 general elections. They should defend and escort their votes to the

collation centre and ensure that their votes count. I call on Nigerians to come out in large numbers to vote because, one lesson we also learnt is the high turnout of people who came out to vote in Osun. This is because, when the figures are high, the room for rigging and manoeuvring will be small. So, we encourage everyone to come out, vote and protect your votes.”

A template for democracy—Adima

Blessing Adima, a political activist, offered a more expansive interpretation of the Osun example. “The Osun people have set the template and they have shown us the aspect that we have not been looking at in our democracy. That is, if the people vote, they should not go to sleep; they should protect their votes. It does appear that election results are manipulated in the country because Nigerians have not been playing their role, but now the Osun people have set the template and they have shown us that the people have the say. The people stood their ground and helped the institutions to correct themselves, so Nigerians should copy the Osun template and apply it in the 2027 general elections.”

2027 must not be business as usual —Dr Omenazu

Dr. Jackson Omenazu, President of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR), in Port Harcourt, also called on Nigerians to emulate the resilience and democratic consciousness demonstrated in Osun. According to him, “the Osun state experience reminds us that democracy is not merely about casting a ballot; it is about citizens being sufficiently vigilant to protect that ballot and insist that their collective will is respected. For decades, Nigerians have witnessed elections characterized by vote buying, intimidation, manipulation, misinformation and other practices capable of undermining the sovereignty of the people. We must break this cycle. We must monitor the electoral process from accreditation to voting, counting, collation and declaration of results. Citizens must ask questions, document irregularities and demand transparency through lawful and peaceful means. Political parties and their candidates must equally understand that the electorate is not a commodity to be purchased. The Nigerian voter must no longer be reduced to an election-day statistic. The Osun example should become a national democratic culture: be vigilant, protect your vote and demand accountability. The 2027 election should be an opportunity for Nigerians to demonstrate that political power belongs to the people and that elected officials are servants of the public interest—not owners of the people’s mandate. Let the Osun example inspire Nigeria. Let vigilance become our democratic shield. Let our votes become our voice. 2027 must not be business as usual. The time has come for Nigerians to take their democratic destiny into their own hands.”

Citizens must remain engaged—Amananaghan

Tare Maureen Amananaghan, Executive Director of Fringe Voices Development Foundation, said, “The events witnessed during the Osun governorship election send a powerful message about the strength of citizen participation in democracy. The images of voters peacefully escorting election materials and gathering at collation centres demonstrated a growing public determination to ensure that every legitimate vote is counted. I believe Nigerians can replicate this level of resilience in the 2027 general elections, but it must be done within the framework of the law. Protecting the vote should never translate into intimidation, violence, or interference with electoral officials. Rather, it means remaining peaceful, vigilant, and insisting on transparency throughout the electoral process. The greatest lesson from Osun is that elections do not end after voting. Citizens must remain engaged until results are transparently declared. However, this engagement must always be peaceful, lawful, and respectful of the institutions responsible for conducting elections. Ultimately, protecting the vote is a shared responsibility. INEC must conduct transparent elections, security agencies must guarantee safety and neutrality, political parties must play by the rules, civil society must continue voter education and observation, and citizens must reject vote-buying and defend the sanctity of their votes through peaceful civic participation. If Nigerians embrace these principles in 2027, we will not only protect our votes but also strengthen public confidence in our democracy and deepen electoral integrity.”

However, Austin Aghomi, media consultant and Coordinator of Journalists for Just Development of the Niger Delta, offered a contrasting perspective, warning Nigerians against replicating what he called the “risky resilience and vigilance” of Osun voters. He argued that, “An election won and lost on the fatal vigilance and resilience of defenseless voters is nothing to cheer about. No election is worth dying for to protect the citizens’ vote. No part of the Nigerian Constitution compels defenseless voters to risk their lives chasing and monitoring suspicious INEC officials, political thugs and even security operatives to any length, including collation centres before votes could count. The civic duty of every registered voter is to come out and vote his choice candidate on the ballot on election day. To place that extra responsibility of deploying self-help to protect their votes, resulting in avoidable death of unlucky ones, should not be encouraged. INEC, the Police and other state actors with core duty to protect votes must do their jobs creditably well and those found wanting appropriately punished by the law. The masses will not do the jobs for which these state actors are being paid. Nigerian voters don’t need to replicate risky resilience and vigilance of Osun voters in 2027. The Electoral Act must be fully implemented, enforced against infractions by all manner of defaulters”.

We can replicate what happened in Osun in 2027 — Chief Okoh

According to Chief Johnson Okoh, former council chairman, “It is the wish of every reasonable Nigerian that we replicate what took place in Osun in the governorship election of last Saturday. It is mandatory for us to have credible elections in this country. The winner of such an election would be happy and proud that he came to power on a clean slate and he will be able to stand tall before the international community. We should have determined young people who are ready to stand up for democracy.

I believe that what happened in Osun can be replicated in 2027 and if that happens, every Nigerian will always be proud of his government and the leader in power. Not just the governorship election but from the House of Assembly to the Presidential election. If such is done there will be justice, fair play and purposeful leadership. We certainly can do it”.

Osun voters displayed admirable awakening of civic consciousness —Apagun Kole Omololu, National Organizing Secretary, Afenifere

“The Osun experience becomes both encouraging and sobering. The voters displayed an admirable awakening of civic consciousness. They refused to accept that their democratic duty ended once their ballots were cast. By following electoral materials and maintaining a presence at the collation centre, they sought to ensure that figures recorded at the polling units would not mysteriously alter before formal collation. Yet the very necessity of such action exposes a deeper deficit of institutional trust. In a mature democracy, citizens observe because they possess a legitimate right to scrutinise the process, not because they fear manipulation in their absence. Nigeria should therefore aspire to an equilibrium in which citizen vigilance complements, rather than substitutes for institutional responsibility. The lesson for 2027 is not that Nigerians must physically escort electoral materials. It is that the electorate must abandon passivity and embrace disciplined, lawful vigilance voting, observing, documenting and insisting upon transparency while resisting provocation. The political class should take careful note. The Nigerian voter is increasingly unwilling to cast a ballot and then retreat into political oblivion. Citizens now understand that their mandate must be protected throughout the entire electoral chain. If INEC can construct an architecture that is transparent, auditable and trusted, voters will have no cause to follow vehicles on motorcycles or keep nocturnal vigil at collation centres. They will trust the system because the system has earned their confidence. The Osun experience stands simultaneously as a triumph of civic consciousness and a clear warning about the continuing fragility of institutional credibility.

Electorate should reject candidates buying votes —Dr Thomas-Wilson Ikubese, former presidential aspirant and convener, YesWeFit Revolutionary Movement

“Nigerian voters can protect their votes by ensuring that they come out to vote on the day of election. They should not be dissuaded by the popular saying that their votes would not count because of the usual irregularities that happen at the polls and collation centers. Coming out to vote and not be discouraged is the first step. The second step is protecting their votes by following it down to the collation centers to ensure that the final figures tally with the original figures at the polling units. The voters should also be aware that any candidate that gives them money for votes has shown clearly that he or she is going there to loot and should not be voted for”.

Courage of Osun voters should embolden other Nigerians—Rt Hon Bakkita Bello, Secretary Afenifere, Ondo state chapter

“The electoral returns from the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, should encouragely serve as a right lesson and challenge to Nigerian voters in forthcoming elections. If Osun state voters had not monitored, defended and protected their votes from the Saturday election, the outcome could have been very different and regrettable. When one looks back at the threats, harassment and attacks unleashed on perceived political rivals during the campaigns in the build-up to the election, the courage and vigilance exhibited by residents and voters in following up on their votes, is commendable. The heavy deployment of security personnel, with the bombarding of Osun State by a large and intimidating crowd of the ruling party’s juggernauts, made it look like the state was under a siege. The courage, resilience, vigilance and perseverance of the voters and citizens, must have persuaded the electoral umpires to stay by the rules. The security agencies and their personnel, as well as the INEC officials, appeared overwhelmed by the turnout, vigilance, and undaunted posture of Osun voters, all in defence of their votes. The resolve of some other local leaders to support the people and the governor, thereby standing up stoutly to the federal might, further encouraged the citizenry in defending their votes.

Nigerians generally should take a cue from these lessons. The bold and undaunted disposition of voters and citizens of Osun State in the election of last Saturday, hopefully, should embolden other Nigerians towards securing their votes and mandates in future elections”.

Osun voters give Nigeria hope—-Waheed Saka, Convener Dialogue 365

“The people of Osun State did not just give the electoral process hope, but Nigeria. They showed that if the people have the will, nothing is unachievable. The example of the people escorting a vehicle to the collation centre was just one of the numerous heroic actions the people displayed during the election. In some local government areas, the youths were arresting vote buyers and seized the money from them.

Osun’s political environment is more sophisticated than in any other place, but that is an example from which every other state can learn going into the 2027 election to ensure credible polls. The people must lead from the front. One election might be different from another, but involvement of the people doesn’t just change dynamics it grows our democracy”.

It’s an encouragement for us in Rivers state—-High Chief Sara-Igbe

High Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, a prominent Ijaw leader and former Spokesman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), offered a regional perspective, framing the Osun election as an encouragement for Rivers State. “Osun State election, particularly to Rivers State, is just an encouragement to us. To tell us that if we stand by our votes we are going to rescue our state. If Rivers people are determined, we are definitely going to rescue our state from the hands of one man, who thinks Rivers State is in his pocket. If the people. The people should stand and vote for what they want. When you are unable to meet the needs of the people they must vote you out. In the Osun election, many opposition governors were there as well as the police and soldiers but the people were determined and got what they wanted. This is to send a signal to the tyrants that the people can stand up for what they want, they will collect the money offered to them and still vote for whoever they want”.

Funso Doherty, Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate for Lagos State

“There is nothing stopping Nigerians generally from doing what Osun voters did in order to secure the legitimacy of the 2027 general elections. The more that voters see the effectiveness of such actions, the more they will employ them and the less apathy we will have. Protection of the vote can only be secured by widespread active involvement of voters themselves across all wards down to the polling units.”

Mr Nelson Ekujumi, an activist stated: “The physical following or accompanying of the vehicles or personnel conveying election materials to collation centers is a proof of the ignorance of those persons which is laughable. Once an election is concluded in a polling station, the polling officer and the party agents as well as the security officials all receive their copies of the results with their signatures appended on it and that of the polling officer countersigned. So, if we have such a system in place, does that not tell any discerning and educated mind that it’s impossible to change or manipulate anything. We can only protect our votes, if we vote and wait for the results to be counted and declared at the polling stations”.

If it can be done in Osun, it can happen anywhere in the country—-Ayo Ologun, spokesperson, The Osun Masterminds TOM

“Nigerians should copy the resilience exhibited by Osun electorates. Despite the level of violence that was unleashed before the election, the people came out en masse to cast their votes and choose a leader they preferred. Politicians play games that suit them and to them any strategy can be deployed to win, but when the people own the process, they become the game changer, their choice will prevail and democracy will always win. I expect that the people will not forget what happened in Osun State and will mobilise themselves to participate in the electoral process and also monitor the process till the very end, with a view to helping to sustain its credibility. If it can be done in Osun, it can happen anywhere in the country”.

Lanre Ogunsuyi, Public Affairs Analyst and former Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Ekiti State said “Nigerians can definitely replicate Osun’s resilience and vigilance in the 2027 general elections. But the real test is whether that resilience becomes a national culture of informed voting. If millions of voters approach 2027 that way, it becomes harder for anyone to manipulate. However, the biggest challenge is the scale, Osun state is just one state, Nigeria has 36 states and FCT with very different political, security and logistical challenges. Vigilance must therefore be organised without becoming confrontational. Citizens should be firm and observant without being violent or provocative”.

The governorship candidate of the Action Peoples Party (APP) in Abia State, Gen. Ijioma Nwokoro Ijioma (retd.) said, “the outcome of the recent Osun state governorship election has demonstrated that incumbency, political power and intimidation have limits. You saw the grandstanding of the APC in Osun State. Let the people choose their leaders. Political actors should respect the will of the electorate as no amount of political influence could permanently suppress the people’s choice when voters are determined to defend their mandate.

On his part, the South-East Zonal Coordinator of the Kwankwaso National Network (KNN), Dr Ukpai Iro Ukpai said: “The Osun example should become the new standard for the Nigerian electorate, given what we face in our democracy. Osun voters did not merely cast their ballots but stayed behind to ensure that their votes were counted. The Osun electorate stood their ground and made sure that they not only voted, but waited, defended their votes and ensured that their votes counted. That is why Osun State is rejoicing today — because their votes counted. Nigerians must stop leaving the protection of their mandates entirely to electoral institutions. Osun voters did not depend on INEC, or anybody for that matter, to defend their votes for them. Democracy could only work when citizens actively participate in protecting their choices. In Nigeria, democracy will not work if the people do not, with fire in their eyes, vote, stand, wait, remain patient and defend their votes.”

Similarly, President General of the Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders, CONYL, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, said, “the Osun experience showed that citizens must remain vigilant during counting and collation, document results lawfully, verify figures through official platforms and promptly report

suspected irregularities. Voters must resist vote buying, intimidation and manipulation and defending the ballot must never degenerate into violence or vigilantism. The integrity of an election extends beyond the polling unit to counting, collation and declaration. Nigerians should replace electoral apathy with lawful vigilance, the journey from the ballot box to the final result must be watched and verified.

The National President of the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Dr Bitrus Pogu said, “The truth of the matter is that people are fed up with manipulations by some politicians and the compromised system. The experience in Osun should serve as a lesson to Nigerians ahead of future elections. For us to be able to have our votes count, we have to protect those votes at every stage of the electoral process. And I believe the next election is going to be covered and protected that way. We just pray that the system will adjust itself and allow for transparency so that the electorate will be confident enough to trust the system. But for now, that’s the way out.”

Speaker of the Arewa Youth Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Salisu Danlami, described the Osun experience as a powerful reminder that democracy does not end when a voter casts a ballot. He said “the determination displayed by Osun voters showed that an informed and vigilant electorate could play an important role in protecting the integrity of elections. Nigerians can replicate the Osun experience in 2027 through lawful, peaceful and organised vigilance. Voters should understand the electoral process, remain at their polling units during counting, verify that the results announced correspond with those recorded on the official result sheet, and where legally permitted, document the process. Citizens who understand their rights and responsibilities can constitute an important layer of accountability.

Former Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Anthony Sani, said the desire by voters to guard their votes was not a new phenomenon and recalled previous appeals by political leaders, including former President Muhammadu Buhari, urging voters to remain vigilant and protect the votes they cast. According to him, “the increasing awareness among Nigerian voters is a positive development because citizens are beginning to appreciate the power of their democratic rights. Nigerian voters are becoming more conscious of their ability to use their votes to influence who governs them and demand accountability from elected leaders. That emerging consciousness may prove decisive in 2027.

Ahmed Hassan, a politician, said “for decades, Nigeria’s electoral debates have often focused on politicians, electoral commissions, security agencies and political parties, while the voter has sometimes been treated merely as the person who turns up to cast a ballot. But the experience in Osun suggests that the voter can also be an active participant in safeguarding the electoral process. There is, however, a thin line between vigilance and confrontation. The challenge ahead of 2027 will be to transform the determination witnessed in Osun into disciplined civic participation rather than street confrontation or actions that could endanger lives or undermine the electoral process. Osun voters may have offered the country a glimpse of what an alert electorate can do. The challenge now is whether the rest of Nigeria is prepared to learn from it”. (Vanguard)

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