Osun State goes to the polls on August 15 to elect its governor, and the stakes are undoubtedly high. The contest has increasingly taken the shape of a two-horse race between incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
But beyond the candidates, parties and campaigns, there is a bigger question that should concern every citizen of Osun: will the people be allowed to freely choose their governor without intimidation, manipulation or the deployment of state institutions for partisan purposes?
That question is ultimately more important than who wins.
Elections are supposed to be contests of ideas, records, character and popular support. They should not become battles in which the machinery of government is deployed to weaken one candidate or strengthen another.
The police, military, judiciary, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other institutions of state belong to the Nigerian people, not to any political party. That principle must be respected in Osun.
That is why many Nigerians were outraged by the recent action of the EFCC when it froze the account of the Osun State government. While other Nigerians such as Femi Falana (SAN) have said the anti-graft agency didn’t act illegally, as it is legally allowed to freeze the account of the federal government or of any state or local government in Nigeria, what is deeply troubling is the timing of its intervention in the affairs of the Osun State Government so close to the election.
This is much so when one considers the fact that the APC’s Osun campaign had previously called for government accounts to be frozen over allegations surrounding alleged ghost-worker payments, arguing that public funds could be diverted for vote-buying.
An anti-corruption agency must not only be independent; it must also be seen to be independent, and it must be fair in its dealings. Ekiti State, which is controlled by the APC, conducted its election last June and the EFCC never froze any account. It claimed the state government may use public funds to prosecute the election. What if the APC also uses public funds at the federal level to prosecute it? Two weeks ago, the APC unveiled a 276-member National Campaign Council and subcommittees for the Osun election. How will that council be funded? Did the EFCC bother to know?
When a major financial intervention occurs days before a governorship election, it inevitably raises questions about motive, even when the agency insists that it is acting within the law. The EFCC must understand that public confidence is one of its most valuable assets. It should therefore be exceptionally careful to avoid actions that could create the impression that it is interfering in an electoral contest.
I am pleased with the intervention of President Bola Tinubu on the matter. Clearly, the EFCC under Ola Olukoyede really embarrassed him with their thoughtless actions. The president, in a terse statement, said he was concerned that the timing could give the impression that a federal agency was being used to interfere with the election. That was exactly what the EFCC did.
In the president’s words, “every action taken by an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.” Of course, most times the president is not aware of the actions of some of these ministries and agencies. That was why I commended the president for stepping in and doing the needful by reining in the bias and partiality of Olukoyede.
Olukoyede has previously taken a strong public position on the prosecution of former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello, declaring in 2024 that he would resign if he could not personally oversee the completion of the investigation. He later maintained that the case remained before the courts and that he had fulfilled his mandate. Is Olukoyede aware that the same Yahaya Bello is contesting a senatorial position in the 2027 general elections under the almighty APC? Didn’t he see the same Bello he was grandstanding about, taking pictures with President Bola Tinubu and Nuhu Ribadu, the NSA?
I am sure that If Yahaya Bello was a member of the opposition, Olukoyede and EFCC would have pursued the case with more vigour than how it is currently being handled. That is not how to oversee a supposed independent and impartial anti-corruption agency.
To achieve a strong and vibrant democracy, we must apply the principle of not using governmental institutions to give any ruling party an advantage not just to Osun, but as the principle of not using governmental institutions to give any ruling party an advantage must apply to every election in Nigeria, including the 2027 general elections. It should become a standing principle for every election in Nigeria, including the 2027 general elections.
President Tinubu will himself be a major political actor in 2027 as he will be seeking re-election under the APC platform. The credibility of the democratic process will therefore require institutions under the Federal Government to operate with a degree of neutrality. The anti-corruption fight must not become entangled with electoral politics.
The same warning also applies to INEC, the police, military and other security agencies.
Security agencies have a legitimate responsibility to protect voters, electoral officials and public infrastructure. They must prevent violence and ensure that citizens can vote without fear. But there is a very thin line between providing security and becoming an instrument of political intimidation.
Nobody should be arrested merely because he belongs to the opposition. Nobody should be harassed because of his political affiliation. Security personnel must not become agents of political parties.
The judiciary also has an enormous responsibility. Nigeria’s courts are often called upon to resolve electoral disputes, and rightly so. But judicial authority must never become a substitute for the ballot box. Judges must interpret the law without fear or favour, while politicians must resist the temptation to use litigation as a means of frustrating the democratic choices of voters.
INEC, for its part, must remain the central referee. The commission must protect the integrity of the voting process, from accreditation through voting, collation, and declaration. Its officials must be guided by the law, not political pressure.
Every valid vote must count, and every invalid vote must be rejected, regardless of which candidate benefits. Osun does not need a do-or-die election. Political office is temporary. Power changes hands. The person occupying the Governor’s Office today will eventually leave it. No political position is worth the blood of an innocent Nigerian.
Governor Adeleke and Bola Oyebamiji should both tell their supporters that victory must come through the ballot, not intimidation. Their supporters should be instructed to respect opposing voters, protect electoral materials, and accept the outcome if the process is credible.
There will always be disagreements about election results. That is normal in a democracy.
What is unacceptable is violence, thuggery, intimidation or the manipulation of state institutions to manufacture an outcome.
The people of Osun deserve better. They deserve an election in which the incumbent can campaign on his record and ask for another mandate. They deserve an opposition candidate who can present his program and persuade voters that he deserves to govern.
They deserve to hear arguments about education, healthcare, infrastructure, employment, security, workers’ welfare, and the economy.
Most importantly, they deserve to make their choice without fear.
The outcome should therefore be simple: let the people vote. Let the votes be counted transparently. Let the valid votes determine the winner.
If Adeleke wins, let Oyebamiji and his supporters accept the verdict of the electorate, subject, of course, to legitimate legal remedies.
If Oyebamiji wins, let Adeleke and his supporters do the same. That is democracy. Osun should not become another theater where political ambition overwhelms institutional responsibility. No to do-or-die politics in Osun.
Akinsuyi, former group politics editor of the Daily Independent, is a member of the Society of Editors, United Kingdom. He can be reached via shabydayo@gmail.com.
