Adeleke’s Osun Victory Not Guarantee of 2027 Win, Wabara Says

Former Senate President and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has congratulated Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on his victory in the governorship election, but warned Nigerians against assuming that the result guarantees an opposition victory in 2027. Wabara described Adeleke’s win as a triumph of the people’s will over what he called federal might and political intimidation. He said the result showed that political mobilisation and federal power could not permanently suppress a determined electorate. However, he cautioned that the outcome could also be part of a wider strategy by the ruling All Progressives Congressahead of the 2027 general elections. According to Wabara, Nigerians must consider the possibility that the APC could be allowing the opposition to believe it is vulnerable while preparing for the bigger political contest. He urged opposition parties and their supporters not to relax, stressing that the APC controls the Federal Government and has significant political resources and machinery at its disposal. Wabara commended the people of Osun for standing by their preferred candidate despite what he described as the enormous political machinery mobilised by the APC-led Federal Government. He said the election demonstrated that citizens could protect their democratic choices when they remained organised and vigilant. The former Senate President urged Nigerians to turn out in large numbers in 2027, vote according to their conscience and remain at polling and collation centres to protect their ballots. He also called on opposition parties to overcome their differences and unite behind a single presidential candidate, warning that multiple candidates could split opposition votes and benefit the APC. Wabara said the Osun election had shown that the ruling party could be defeated, but stressed that the opposition must prepare for a tougher national contest. He also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for the relatively prompt uploading of polling-unit results on its IReV portal, saying the process improved transparency during the election. However, he urged INEC to address reported challenges with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, particularly cases where fingerprints of accredited voters were not successfully captured. Wabara said INEC had sufficient time before 2027 to improve its technology and logistics and ensure that eligible voters were not disenfranchised. He concluded that the major lesson from Osun was not that the APC had already been defeated, but that the party could be defeated if Nigerians remained united, vigilant and determined to protect their votes.

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