After the August 15, 2026 governorship election in Osun State, social media space begins to get awash with some furious citizens calling on voters to defend their votes, confront security agents that may be used to distort credible results and resist any attempt by APC and INEC to subvert people’s will during the 2027 presidential election, while others threaten that in the event the electorate votes out APC but it becomes obvious that the result is manipulated to favour incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the real winner will declare himself and form parallel government
By Our Correspondent
Citizens have taken to the social media to claim that the humiliation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the August 15, 2026 governorship election in the alleged home state of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, indicated that the incumbent President and his party have lost electoral value in the country, and thus cannot win a free, fair and credible presidential election come 2027 due to the economic hardship ravaging the masses, as well as the continued killing of innocent citizens by bandits and terrorists’ groups.
The loss of the APC gubernatorial candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, during the recent Osun State governorship election, a state many claim is the home state of the sitting President, did not come to many citizens as a surprise. The loss was predicted before it happened despite the desperation of the ruling APC which resulted in threats to kill members of the Accord Party which is the party of the winner and incumbent governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, the freezing of the Osun State Government’s account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) few days to the election, alleged commission of the sum of over N60 billion to vote buying by the APC among various other shenanigans that were deployed by the ruling party to ensure that the APC candidate would emerge victorious.
Amidst the desperation, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was compelled to announce governor Adeleke the winner when it saw that the Osun State electorate waited after casting their votes, followed up the results collation up to the state level from the polling units, and ensured that no result manipulation, amid tight security, was allowed to occur.
Few days to the Osun State governorship election, Senator Francis Ade Fadahunsi, the Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District and a chieftain of the APC had charged members of his party to hunt down and kill those of the Accord Party anywhere they were sighted in the state. Fadahunsi was captured on a video telling a crowd of his party supporters to kill Accord Party members, adding, “From now till election day, if we see them, kill them oo!”.
As a mark of the APC desperation, as well as the overzealousness of the EFCC in support of the ruling party, the anti-graft agency, without a court order, froze the bank account of the Osun State Government in a way to cripple Adeleke from financing his reelection. The action was to receive sharp criticism from lawyers and opposition parties for which president Tinubu directed the EFCC to reverse the freeze.
As if the Osun election was a do-or-die affair for the APC, over 19 other states governors, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, many National Assembly members and numerous APC members converged on the state to influence the outcome of the election, with an allegation that they wasted a whopping N60 billion in vote buying to ensure that the APC candidate coasted home to victory. But the electorate determined not only to troop out to vote Adeleke, they equally resisted all attempts by the APC, security agencies and INEC to manipulate the outcome of the election in favour of the APC. The voters remained active participants until the last minute when the final results were declared by INEC.
It was the father of the Afrobeat legend, Davido who alleged that APC deployed tens of billions of Naira for voter inducement and vote buying.
Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, businessman and father of music star Davido, had alleged that the APC spent over N60 billion on the election day in an attempt to influence voters during the election, insisting that his younger brother, governor Adeleke, prevailed not because his camp outspent the opposition but because of prayer and divine intervention.
The senior Adeleke made the claims while speaking at a ceremony celebrating Adeleke’s victory in the governorship election.
In a video which subsequently circulated on social media, the businessman said the scale of alleged spending by the opposition on election day caused him serious concern, with reports reaching him that votes were being bought for as much as ₦50,000 in some locations.
According to him, the opposition allegedly spent about ₦60 billion during the election.
“On election, they did not spend any money. They spent 60 billion as we heard. Some places they bought votes for as high as N50,000 for one single vote.
“On the day of the election, when I heard the kind of money they were spending, I went back to my little corner in my room and I knelt down and I prayed to God.
“I said, God Almighty, please let people collect their money, but let them still vote for Ademola Adeleke.”
In their verdict, Yiaga Africa, an election monitoring Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), said it was the resilience of the Osun voters that forestalled manipulation of the election result in favour of the APC candidate.
According to Yiaga Africa, “The resilience of voters in Osun was the quiet achievement of the August 15th elections. Citizens went to the polls in an environment shaped by the attack on PVC collection centres, politically linked violence, contestation over motor parks, and weeks of inflammatory rhetoric, conditions that Yiaga Africa warned could suppress voter participation. Despite this, the tension, voters came out regardless. The turnout of 43 percent achieved under that apprehension is not a story of apathy but of citizens who refused to be intimidated out of the process.
“Voters also did not stop at casting the ballot. In line with Yiaga Africa’s pre-election ‘Protect Your Vote’ campaign, they stayed back at polling units to witness the sorting, counting and announcement of results, and followed those results to ward and LGA collation centres to see them entered and declared.
“That vigilance is the most effective deterrent to result manipulation. It does not, however, relieve INEC and the security agencies of their duty to protect the vote; citizens should not have to stand guard over an institution’s integrity”.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has since condemned the needless congregation of the APC governors in Osun State, which he described as not fair in a normal democracy.
Jonathan warned against the growing practice of serving governors, senior political office holders and party leaders converging on states where off-cycle elections are being conducted, saying the trend could threaten Nigeria’s democratic stability.
Jonathan raised the concern in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday, August 18 while commenting on the recently concluded Osun governorship election.
He commended INEC, security agencies, political parties and the people of Osun State for the peaceful conduct of the election, but expressed concern over what he described as an emerging trend in political conduct during off-cycle polls.
Jonathan said the conduct witnessed around recent elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states was unusual and should not become normal in a democratic society.
“The growing practice whereby serving governors, senior political office holders, party leaders and other influential government functionaries, accompanied by large numbers of aides and heavy security details from outside a state, converge on states where elections are being conducted raises an issue that demands national attention.
“The conduct witnessed around the recent elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States was, in my view, unusual. It is not a practice that should become normal in a democratic society,” he said.
The former president recalled similar situations during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections when he was president.
“I recall that, as President, similar situations arose during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections. On those occasions, senior political leaders mobilised and descended upon the states. Upon being briefed, I ordered party leaders and senior government officials to leave the states immediately,” he said.
Jonathan warned that the trend could create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation and undue pressure during elections.
“This trend is unwholesome. If left unchecked, it could threaten our fragile democracy and have serious long-term implications for democratic stability,” he said.
He acknowledged that political parties had the right to campaign, mobilise supporters and deploy legitimate party structures, but said the overwhelming presence of senior public officials and powerful political actors on election day could undermine peaceful competition.
“Political parties are entitled to campaign, mobilise their supporters and deploy their legitimate party structures. That is an essential part of democracy. However, there is a point at which political mobilisation, particularly when it involves the overwhelming presence of serving governors, senior public officials and powerful political actors from across the country on election day, can create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation, bullying and undue pressure,” he said.
Jonathan questioned whether the increasing deployment of political power and large-scale mobilisation by senior office holders during off-cycle elections was consistent with free and fair democratic competition.
“We must ask ourselves whether the increasing deployment of political power and large-scale mobilisation by senior office holders on election day in states holding elections is consistent with the spirit of free, fair and peaceful democratic competition,” he said.
While governor Adeleke and his government still swim in the euphoria of their victory, many observers have stressed that the Osun victory cannot be used as a yardstick to judge what the 2027 presidential election outcome would be because, according to them, while INEC cannot be trusted to deliver credible presidential election due to the alleged partisan disposition of its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, observers also alleged that the ruling APC is full of manipulative tactics, and may have already written the results of the presidential election to be handed to the INEC when the time comes.
This allegation finds support in the boasting of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to the effect that he could have manipulated the Osun State election to favour the APC candidate if himself and President Tinubu had wanted, and his threat also that Tinubu had already won the 2027 presidential election even before it is held.
The Minister said Tinubu deliberately allowed the election to proceed without federal interference, suggesting that the outcome would have been different if the president had wanted an APC victory “at all costs”.
Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), spoke on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 while inspecting flood-prone areas in Maitama, Abuja.
“If the president had wanted to win the Osun state election at all costs, I would have been involved and I would have been there and the governor would have known that it would have been different.
“There was no federal might used in Osun. When you see the force and might of the federal government, you will know.
“Ordinarily, Adeleke would have been with APC if things had worked out well. The 2027 elections will be the easiest one for the President compared to 2023. This time around, the opposition has been crippled, homeless, no feather,” Wike added.
In reaction, a former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, warned Nigerians not to think that a credible presidential election awaits them in 2027 because of the Adeleke Victory. Wabara added that the APC was cunny and full of deceitful means to manipulate the outcome of the presidential election next year.
Wabara said that the Adeleke Victory may be an APC smokescreen ahead of the 2027 general election.
The former Senate President and Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, has congratulated the Osun State Governor, Senator Adeleke, on his victory, describing the outcome as a triumph of the people’s will over federal might and political intimidation.
Wabara said the result demonstrated that political mobilisation and federal power could not permanently suppress the will of a determined electorate.
He, however, cautioned Nigerians against becoming complacent over the Osun outcome, warning that the election could be part of a wider political strategy by the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, while the result showed that the APC could be defeated, Nigerians should not assume that the Osun outcome would automatically translate into an opposition victory at the national level in 2027.
“The Osun victory is encouraging, but Nigerians must not become complacent. We must be very circumspect because the APC is full of master strategists.
“What if Osun is a smokescreen for an APC victory in 2027? What if the ruling party is deliberately allowing Nigerians to believe that it can be defeated, while it perfects its strategies for the bigger battle ahead?
“We must not dismiss this possibility. The real battle is 2027, and Nigerians must remain vigilant. The Osun election must be seen as a lesson, not as a guarantee of what will happen in the presidential election.
“Let nobody be carried away. The APC controls the Federal Government and has enormous political resources and machinery at its disposal. It would therefore be dangerous for the opposition to relax or assume that victory in Osun means victory in Nigeria.”
However, many social media users agreed that INEC cannot be trusted despite its assurances to the contrary. This is even as many analysts have read meaning into President Tinubu’s “All is fair in politics” narrative, and concluded that there may be a sinister motive behind the assertion, especially as it concerns the 2027 presidential election.
But speaking before and a few days after the Osun State election, INEC had insisted that it would conduct a credible election in 2027 where votes would count.
INEC reassured Nigerians that their votes would count in the forthcoming 2027 General Election.
The Commission, in its daily bulletin, said the assurance was given by its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, during a courtesy call on General Abdulsalami Abubakar at his residence in Minna, Niger State last July, where he led a delegation comprising National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, Directors, and Technical Aides of the Chairman.
The bulletin quoted Prof. Amupitan as describing General Abubakar as the father of democracy in Nigeria, noting that his transition to civilian rule in 1999 marked a defining moment in the country’s democratic history. He said the Commission regarded the former Head of State not merely as a statesman but as a pillar of support for INEC.
The INEC chairman commended General Abubakar’s role as chairman of the National Peace Committee, describing his peace accord initiative as a moralizing influence on Nigeria’s political ecosystem that had, over the years, provided political actors with a platform to commit to non-violence, thereby strengthening the sovereignty of the will of the Nigerian people. He described the visit as a pilgrimage of appreciation for General Abubakar’s contributions to peaceful coexistence, peaceful elections, and democratic stability in the country and further congratulated him on his recent 84th birthday anniversary.
Prof. Amupitan told the former head of state that regardless of the pressures confronting the Commission, INEC remained committed to ensuring that the will of the Nigerian people, as expressed at the election, would prevail.
Few days after the Osun election, INEC pledged to surpass the performance recorded in Osun State.
Speaking on Thursday, August 20 in Abuja during a solidarity visit to the Commission’s headquarters by the African Centre for Justice and Human Rights, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Malam Mohammed Haruna, gave the assurance to members of the public and civil society stakeholders.
Haruna noted that the electoral body has consistently elevated its operational performance across successive polls, stressing that future elections – including upcoming by-elections and the 2027 general exercise – would build on the successes recorded in Osun.
He added that the standard set during the Osun exercise aligns directly with the Commission’s core mandate to organize free, fair and credible elections.
Despite the assurances, many have taken to social media to issue threats of parallel presidency if the presidential election is rigged, as it happened in 2023 when the IReV was allegedly shut down by the Mahmoud Yakubu-led INEC when it appeared that Peter Obi was sweeping votes across geopolitical zones.
Similarly, the IReV also failed to perform real time for results upload for five hours during the Osun State election, prompting fears that another glitch might occur in 2027. The Afrobeat musician, Davido, had alleged that the five hours of non-upload of the Osun State governorship election was deliberate but because he kept tweeting against INEC, the results were later to be uploaded.
In a recent interview on News Central, Davido revealed how his barrage of social media posts tackling INEC over their handling of the Osun State elections ruffled political feathers.
According to Davido, he was forced to speak out after he noticed that INEC had stopped uploading the results from the polling units on its IReV portal. The musician revealed that he received information that Senate President Godswill Akpabio was calling the collation centre in an attempt to stop the collation of votes, which were in favour of his uncle and incumbent governor Adeleke. He added that the action prompted him to make the post.
“When the election started, the results were being uploaded every 30 minutes…When it got to 2- 3 AM, INEC didn’t update the portal for 5 hours, and I already knew what was going on. They were trying to manipulate, but when you’re losing by 60 – 70,000 votes, it’s very hard to manipulate that,” Davido said.
Davido further revealed how Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, called him to take down his posts calling out INEC and accusing the Senate President of calling the collation centre, but he respectfully declined until his uncle was declared the winner.
Governor Adeleke would later be declared the winner of the election after securing 511,067 votes to defeat the APC Oyebamiji who polled 444,815.
He also reacted to the comments of APC chieftain James Faleke, who, while replying to his post on X, told him to focus on his music while they (the politicians) focus on their politics. The award-winning musician criticised Faleke’s thought as a bad mentality which has contributed to building a terrible political system that even future generations will suffer for.
While Davido was vocal about his support for his uncle and deployed his social media accounts, where he has tens of millions of followers, to scrutinise the electoral umpire, INEC and the security forces, several well-meaning Nigerians also joined the call in demanding that INEC promptly post the results from the remaining polling units.
Businessman and elder statesman, Atedo Peterside questioned INEC for uploading the results of 3,292 polling units in quick succession but failing to upload the remaining 471 polling units for hours.
Similarly, a credible source in INEC has also lent credence to the glitch fear as he told Tentacle’s reporter in Abuja recently that there is an alleged plot to shut down the IReV during the 2027 presidential election. He said if not for the vigilance of Osun State voters and their threat to INEC and security officials, the five hours during which the IReV upload failed were deliberate and would have remained that way till when the INEC would announce the APC candidate as the winner.
The INEC inside source said the presidential election would be different because once the IReV is shut across the country on January 16, 2027, voters across states may not summon the courage to do what Osun voters did.
In view of the feared impending glitch in 2027, many social media users have kept threatening fire and brimstone. Some warned that there would be more than one or two persons declaring themselves the president of the Federal Republic if another glitch occurs next January. One Henry O Ozomata who made a viral video swore that citizens would resist any form of rigging or manipulation that would subvert people’s will in the 2027 presidential election.
Ozomata said, “Why is APC government under President Ahmed Bola Tinubu so desperate about ruining this nation? Why are they so deliberate about destroying this country without remorse? Nigeria of 2027 will be different from the Nigeria of 2023. If they don’t consider this, then it’s unfortunate.
“My prayer is that they should not cast this country into a war, because I don’t know where they’re going to keep more than 200 million people. Nigeria is the most populous country in the Africa; where will you keep the refugees, especially now that some people are already armed to the teeth waiting for 2027?
“Are you thinking that the militants and terrorists you cannot contain when there is no war, will become possible for you to contain when there is war? Do you think that those who are hiding in the forest with arms, that you cannot disarm today, you think you will be able to disarm them when there is war?
“APC must not lead us into war. Today, APC has gone up, and they think they cannot come down? Nigerians will bring you down in 2027. And if you refuse to come down, then you will turn Nigeria into a battlefield.
“And before you know it, we will have more than one or two persons announcing that they are presidents of the Federal Republic. And that will cast Nigeria into a battleground. And it will be worse than what happened in Rwanda, what happened in Somalia”.
