Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says the outcome of the August 15 Osun governorship election demonstrated that the ruling party could lose an election under President Bola Tinubu without undermining the democratic process.
Sanwo-Olu spoke on Thursday in Lagos where he discussed Nigeria’s democracy and preparations for the 2027 elections.
He cited the Osun election, which was won by incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, as evidence of what he described as Tinubu’s commitment to democratic principles.
Adeleke, the candidate of another party, defeated Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by more than 60,000 votes.
Tinubu subsequently congratulated Adeleke, describing his re-election as a “fitting assurance” that democracy would continue to flourish under his administration.
The president also met Adeleke behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja days after the election and urged him to unite the state.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the development was different from previous periods when opposition parties often faced significant challenges in defeating the ruling party.
He said:“There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony.
“Under this President, the ruling party can lose a state in the South-West in an election year, and the sky does not fall. That is what a maturing democracy looks like.
“This President is a lifelong democrat, and he means to leave behind a stronger democracy than he inherited, not only for Nigerians but as an example to a continent that badly needs one.”