Tinubu, Osun and the Test of a True Democrat – Engr. Alex Omaghomi
8/18/20264 min read
Nigeria’s democracy has often faced concerns over attempts by ruling parties to retain power, and the belief that the party in power must win every election is both undemocratic and unhealthy for democratic development.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has, in the recent Osun governorship election, demonstrated what the author considers an important commitment to democratic principles. A politician seeks victory for his party, while a statesman is expected to protect democratic values even when his party loses.
For President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Osun was not just another state. It is a politically important state in the South-West and one in which the ruling All Progressives Congress had every reason to seek electoral victory.
Yet, the outcome of the election and the President’s acceptance of the result suggest that the power of incumbency did not prevent the electorate from choosing its preferred candidate.
While party leadership and the Office of the President are distinct roles, the Osun outcome and the public acceptance of that outcome suggest that the electoral process was allowed to produce its result on this occasion.
Results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, despite some technical challenges, and the declared outcome stood. Governor Adeleke of the Accord Party defeated the ruling party’s APC candidate.
Several independent observers and civil-society organisations commended aspects of the electoral process, while President Tinubu also congratulated the winner.
This is a development worth commending.
A strong democracy is not one in which the ruling party always wins. It is one in which institutions can produce an outcome against the ruling party and that outcome is respected.
That is why the Osun governorship election is so significant as we head to the 2027 poll. For me, what happened in Osun cannot be separated from President Tinubu’s political history.
In my earlier piece, “From Exile to Honour: Tinubu’s Democratic Journey and Nigeria’s Reform Moment,” I argued that President Tinubu’s political journey presents a remarkable historical arc: a man who once opposed the annulment of the people’s mandate and who ultimately became the President entrusted with protecting the mandate of the Nigerian people.
This is the constant thread that has run through his political life, from his NADECO years to the present.
President Tinubu has, in my assessment, demonstrated a commitment to the principle that the people’s will should prevail. It is the trajectory of a politician who participated in the pro-democracy struggle and who, once in power, has the responsibility to uphold democratic institutions even when electoral outcomes may not favour his party.
As the elected senator for Lagos West in 1992 under the Social Democratic Party, he was among those who opposed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.
When General Sani Abacha seized power and democratic institutions were dismantled, Tinubu became involved in NADECO, the broad coalition that demanded the restoration of democratic rule and the people’s mandate.
Like several other pro-democracy activists, he faced pressure and difficulties during the military era and eventually went into exile in 1994.
From abroad, he remained associated with the pro-democracy movement and continued to support efforts aimed at restoring democratic rule.
His residence in Lagos was reportedly attacked during the military era. He subsequently spent several years outside the country before returning as Nigeria began its transition to the Fourth Republic.
When Abacha died and the transition to the Fourth Republic began, Tinubu returned and entered electoral politics, eventually becoming governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.
During his tenure, his administration pursued a number of fiscal and institutional reforms which his supporters credit with laying the foundation for subsequent developments in Lagos State.
Later, as a prominent figure in the formation of the All Progressives Congress, he played an important role in the coalition that defeated the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 presidential election.
In 2023, he himself became president through the ballot box, the culmination of a lengthy political journey that included participation in the pro-democracy struggle of the military era.
Few Nigerian politicians can point to such a direct journey from opposition to military rule to the highest elected office in the country.
This, in my view, is an important aspect of his political journey: participating in the struggle for democracy and subsequently becoming a beneficiary and custodian of the democratic system.
I strongly believe that if democracy is ultimately about the freedom of the people to choose their leaders, then President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s response to the Osun outcome offers Nigerians an important reason to look beyond partisan calculations as we consider the 2027 presidential election.
For this reason, I support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because I see him not simply as a politician seeking power, but as a leader whose understanding of democracy has been shaped by his political history.
Those of us who support President Tinubu should not be afraid of credible elections. We should demand them.
Let INEC perform its constitutional responsibility independently. Let security agencies protect the electorate and the integrity of the process. Let political parties campaign vigorously. Let candidates make their cases to Nigerians.
And when the votes are counted, let the will of the people prevail.
A genuinely earned democratic mandate is stronger than any victory secured through the misuse of political power.
Indeed, if President Tinubu seeks a renewed mandate in 2027, one of the strongest legacies he can carry before Nigerians is an electoral environment in which citizens genuinely believe that their votes will count.
As we head to the polls, Nigeria’s democratic journey remains imperfect and incomplete.
Yet I believe that history will be kind to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a leader who has contributed to Nigeria’s democratic journey and whose legacy will ultimately be judged by how the institutions of democracy function under his leadership.