A former Presidential Candidate of the defunct National Conscience Party (NCP), Chief Martin Onovo, has described the outcome of the Osun governorship election as a turning point for democracy in Nigeria.
Onovo, a political activist, said the election demonstrated the resolve of Osun residents to protect their democratic rights and ensure that their votes count.
He made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday while reacting to the outcome of the election in which the incumbent, Gov. Ademola Adeleke, emerged as winner.
According to him, the will of the electorate will always prevail if citizens are determined to defend their mandate.
“We are very happy with the results from the Osun gubernatorial election. Osun residents have shown a superior strategy above election rigging. The Osun State gubernatorial election was the decisive point for democracy in Nigeria,” Onovo said.
He said his earlier surveys had accurately predicted the victory of the Accord Party in a free and fair election.
Onovo commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he described as improvements in logistics and the transmission of results during the election.
“We must note that INEC logistics improved and most results were transmitted to the IReV portal. We thank God for that,” he said.
He said the improvements strengthened public confidence in the electoral system and its capacity to reflect the will of voters.
Onovo, however, expressed concern over reported incidents of violence before the election, alleging that some supporters were arrested unfairly while others lost their lives.
He condemned inflammatory statements and threats allegedly made by some political actors, urging politicians to reject violence as a means of achieving political objectives.
“No politician that wants to serve his people will plot to kill the same people. So, any politician or political party that sponsors violence is unpatriotic and must be exposed for prosecution,” he said.
Onovo said the lessons from the Osun election should be used to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions and protect the sanctity of the ballot.
“We want democracy with its rule of law and integrity of the ballot. We reject violence, we reject electoral fraud and we reject abuse of power,” he said.
He urged political actors and electoral stakeholders to build on the outcome of the election by strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring that citizens freely determine who governs them.
NAN reports that according to results announced by INEC, Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji scored 444,815 votes.
Adeleke won in 19 of the 30 Local Government Areas, while Oyebamiji won in 11, giving the incumbent a margin of 66,252 votes.
(NAN)
