The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has described the outcome of the Osun State governorship election as a stinging rebuke to political arrogance, saying the electorate demonstrated that governors, ministers, legislators and the machinery of the Federal Government cannot overpower determined voters at the ballot box.
The party said the election exposed the limits of “federal might” after a formidable army of political heavyweights reportedly converged on Osun to secure victory for the ruling establishment, only to leave after the electorate had delivered its verdict.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar Gombe, said the most important message from Osun was that political power ultimately resides with the people, not the occupants of government offices.
He said the spectacle of governors, the Senate leadership, ministers and other influential politicians descending on the state had created the impression that the election could be dictated by political influence and resources.
But, he said, the voters had a different answer.
“They went there with everything — governors, Senate leaders, ministers and the entire political machinery — but the people of Osun stood their ground.”
In one of the sharpest jabs at the political establishment, Gombe said those who arrived in Osun expecting to “go for the kill” eventually had to retreat after the electorate refused to surrender its mandate.
“They went for the kill, but when the people spoke, they sneaked out of Osun under the cover of the night,” he said.
The SDP chairman said the real heroes of the election were not the political heavyweights but ordinary Osun voters who, despite alleged intimidation, threats and inducements, turned out and remained determined to see their votes counted.
He said the reported rise in voter participation — from about 30 per cent in the 2023 governorship election to roughly 49 per cent in the latest poll — was particularly significant.
According to him, the increase showed that Nigerians could overcome electoral apathy when they became convinced that their votes could make a difference.
“Osun has shown Nigeria what voters can do when they decide that their votes must count,” he said.
The party urged Nigerians to take the Osun example into the 2027 general elections by voting, remaining at polling units where lawfully permitted, observing the counting process and protecting their mandates through lawful democratic means.
Gombe also turned his criticism towards opposition parties, saying Osun exposed the gap between the political class’s repeated calls for opposition unity and what actually happened on the ground.
Despite months of discussions about forming a common opposition front ahead of 2027, opposition parties entered the Osun contest with separate candidates.
Yet, according to him, the electorate effectively created its own coalition by rallying behind the candidate it believed could defeat the ruling party.
“The opposition leadership did not come together, but the people of Osun came together,” he said.
He described that development as a warning to opposition leaders that Nigerians could ultimately organise politically from below if the political class continued to prioritise personal ambitions over the national interest.
The SDP said the election had also shattered the perception that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was electorally invincible.
“It is a warning signal to the ruling party to know that they are not sacrosanct. They can be defeated,” Gombe said.
He argued that control of government institutions, access to public resources and the deployment of political structures could not permanently translate into control of voters.
The opposition party also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of the election, saying the outcome had strengthened confidence in the electoral process.
Gombe urged INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, and the commission to sustain what the party described as the credibility demonstrated in Osun ahead of 2027.
He said Nigerians should be prepared to commend electoral institutions whenever they perform their duties professionally.
“If INEC does the right thing, Nigerians need to come out in unison and applaud and encourage INEC,” he said.
The party, however, urged INEC and security agencies to begin preparations for 2027 immediately, particularly over the massive deployment of personnel required to secure the Osun election.
Gombe questioned whether Nigeria had enough personnel to replicate such deployment across the country’s 774 local government areas during the general elections.
He also criticised the alleged participation of governors and other political office holders in the Osun contest, calling for stricter enforcement of electoral rules governing political actors and the use of state resources during elections.’
For the SDP, however, the defining picture from Osun was not the convoy of political leaders that entered the state but the voters who refused to be intimidated.
Gombe challenged Nigerians in states battling insecurity, poverty and poor governance — particularly Zamfara, Katsina, Borno and Sokoto — to draw lessons from Osun.
“If the people of Osun can come out and defend their mandate, then Nigerians in other parts of the country can do much more,” he said.
The SDP said the Osun election had consequently become more than a governorship contest.
It had become a national warning to political power brokers that the size of a convoy, the number of governors in attendance or the weight of public office cannot guarantee electoral victory.
When the voters stand together, the ballot can humble the convoy.