By Peace Udugba
The National Secretary of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Dipo Olayoku, has urged Nigerians to draw lessons from what he described as the resilience of Osun voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Olayoku made the call on Monday while speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, during a post-election review of the Osun governorship election.
His comments followed the declaration of Governor Ademola Adeleke as winner of the August 15 election. Adeleke secured 511,067 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.
The election was marked by heightened political tension, allegations and counter-allegations, as well as increased security deployment across the state.
Adeleke, who previously won the governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), contested the latest election under the Accord Party after leaving the PDP in December.
While Olayoku said the result reflected the choice of Osun voters, he argued that the significance of the election went beyond the victory of one candidate.
He said voters demonstrated their willingness to stand by their political convictions despite pressure and controversies surrounding the election.
“As a matter of fact, what it shows is that if people are united at some things, nothing can change their opinion. That’s exactly what the election shows.”
Olayoku said Osun voters had repeatedly demonstrated their ability to make independent political choices without necessarily following the directives of political godfathers.
“They have always been showing it in the elections that they have their own conviction, they don’t take any directive from any godfather.”
According to him, the determination shown by Osun voters should serve as a lesson to Nigerians as political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 elections.
“So, it is a lesson that Nigerians should learn in 2027. People that are determined, nothing can break them, no intimidation.”
Olayoku also urged voters to go beyond casting their ballots by remaining involved in the electoral process until their votes are counted and properly reflected in the final results.
He said some voters in Osun remained at collation centres for hours after voting to ensure that results from their polling units were accurately captured.
However, the NNPP chieftain said the resilience of voters should not overshadow concerns about the conduct of the election.
He cited allegations of intimidation, violence, vote-buying and political interference, as well as the controversy surrounding the freezing of an Osun State Government account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) shortly before the election. The account was later ordered unfrozen by President Bola Tinubu.
Olayoku also questioned the consistency in the handling of vote-buying allegations, citing a social media claim by a woman who allegedly said she received money to vote for the APC.
“A day after the governorship election, again, a lady came on Facebook thanking APC for giving her fifteen thousand naira to vote for them. Nothing has happened to the lady.”
He further raised concerns over alleged intimidation of Accord Party supporters during the build-up to the election.
According to Olayoku, the central lesson from the Osun election was not simply that an opposition candidate won, but that voters remained committed to their choice despite the challenges surrounding the exercise.
“But what people are praising is the resilience of the people of Osun.”
He said Nigerians should replicate that determination in 2027 by participating actively in the electoral process and ensuring that their votes are protected from the polling unit through the collation process.
“That’s the lesson from Osun election, not because the opposition won, but because they maintained and retained to win the elections. Anything could have happened going by what APC did before the election. They did everything to stop Osun people.”
