Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s democratic credentials, saying the recent Osun State governorship election demonstrated that the ruling party can lose an election without undermining Nigeria’s democracy.
Sanwo-Olu made the remarks on Thursday at the seventh annual lecture organised by Freedom Online at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, where he spoke on Nigeria’s democratic development and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The governor cited the August 15 Osun governorship election, in which the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, by more than 60,000 votes.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the outcome was significant because the APC controls the Federal Government and President Tinubu is from the South-West, yet the ruling party was defeated in a state within the region.
He said the development demonstrated that Nigeria’s democracy was becoming more mature and that political parties could win or lose elections without the process necessarily degenerating into a crisis.
“There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He added that under Tinubu, the ruling party could lose a state election in the South-West during an election year and “the sky does not fall.”
Sanwo-Olu also pointed to Tinubu’s reaction to the Osun election as evidence of his commitment to democratic principles.
Following Adeleke’s victory, Tinubu congratulated the governor and described his re-election as an assurance that democracy would continue to flourish under his administration.
The President subsequently met Adeleke behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and urged him to unite the people of Osun State.
Sanwo-Olu described Tinubu as a “lifelong democrat,” saying the President wanted to leave behind stronger democratic institutions than those he inherited.
He argued that recent developments showed that Nigeria was moving away from an era when the influence of the Federal Government was perceived as a decisive advantage for the ruling party during elections.
The Lagos governor, however, said more work was needed ahead of the 2027 general elections. He stressed the importance of adequate preparation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as the need for political parties and candidates to respect the electoral process.
Sanwo-Olu also warned against actions capable of undermining peaceful elections, saying no political victory was worth the loss of a Nigerian life.
He urged voters to assess political leaders based on their performance and encouraged the media to hold politicians accountable, including members of the ruling party.
The governor said a credible electoral process remained essential to strengthening public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy as the country moves towards the 2027 elections.
