President Bola Tinubu has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use Saturday’s Osun governorship election to demonstrate its preparedness for the 2027 general election.
In a statement issued on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, his special adviser on information and strategy, Tinubu urged INEC to ensure that the election is conducted transparently and in a manner that protects the integrity of the electoral process.
“As the people of Osun State head to the polling units to elect who will govern them in the next four years, I call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure orderly conduct of the election. The election must be transparent, free and fair. I urge INEC to ensure the integrity of the process,” Tinubu said.
He described the election as the last off-cycle governorship poll before the 2027 general election and urged INEC to use the opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to conduct credible elections.
“INEC must use this last off-cycle election as a test case to demonstrate to Nigerians their full preparedness for the 2027 polls,” he said.
Tinubu also directed the security agencies deployed for the election to provide adequate protection for voters and electoral officials, while warning against attempts to disrupt the process.
“I have charged the Inspector-General of Police and other heads of security outfits taking part in the election to provide maximum security at polling units. No room should be allowed for troublemakers to disrupt the process,” the president said.
He said the safety of voters and electoral officials was essential to ensuring that citizens could exercise their franchise without intimidation.
“Electoral officials and voters must be protected so they can perform their civic duties without fear or intimidation,” Tinubu said.
The president also appealed to eligible voters to turn out and vote for candidates of their choice, assuring them that measures had been put in place to ensure their safety before and after the election.
“Voters should feel confident to go out in their numbers to vote for the candidate of their choice as all measures necessary to ensure a peaceful, free and fair election have been put in place,” he said.
Tinubu said the credibility of the election would ultimately depend on whether its outcome reflected the choice of the electorate.
“Our elections must be credible, and the outcome of the Osun Governorship election must reflect the will of the people,” he added.
The Osun governorship election is keenly contested by Ademola Adeleke of Accord, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
