Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, has extolled the democratic credentials of President Bola Tinubu, saying under his watch, a ruling party can lose a state election and “the sky does not fall”.

 

Sanwo-Olu spoke on Thursday at the Freedom Online’s seventh annual lecture held at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, where he addressed issues bordering on Nigeria’s democracy and the 2027 elections.

 

The governor cited the August 15 Osun governorship election, which was won by Ademola Adeleke, the incumbent governor, as evidence of Tinubu’s commitment to democratic principles.

 

Adeleke, who was the candidate of another party, defeated Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by more than 60,000 votes.

 

 

However, Tinubu congratulated the governor, describing his re-election as a “fitting assurance” that democracy will continue to flourish under his administration.

 

Days after the election, the president also held a closed-door meeting with Adeleke at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, urging him to unite the state.

 

‘HE’S A LIFELONG DEMOCRAT’

 

 

Sanwo-Olu said the development signalled a departure from the past when opposition parties hardly stood a chance against the ruling party.

 

“There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony,” he said.

 

“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.”

 

 

Sanwo-Olu said Nigeria’s electoral process had improved significantly, citing the Electoral Act of 2022, the newly enacted Electoral Act of 2026 and the use of technology to verify voters and transmit results.

 

He, however, said more needed to be done to ensure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was ready for the 2027 elections.

 

“INEC must be ready in every polling unit on the 16th of January and again on the 6th of February, and each of us has a duty to help it be ready,” the governor said.

 

Sanwo-Olu also cautioned political parties and candidates against undermining the electoral process, saying no political victory was worth the life of any Nigerian.

 

 

“A mandate is only as strong as the process that produced it. No office in this land is worth the life of a single Nigerian and no victory won by the wrong means is a victory at all,” he said.

 

Sanwo-Olu said governors would play a major role in determining the outcome of the 2027 elections, noting that voters would assess state governments based on their performance.

 

 

“Voters may not be economists, but they are excellent accountants. They know whether their State built the road it promised. They know whether the primary health centre has a nurse in it. They will bring that ledger with them to the polling unit,” he said.

 

The governor urged the media to remain rigorous and hold political actors accountable, including members of his own party. “I am not asking for a compliant press.

 

 

A compliant press is of no use to a democracy; it flatters the powerful and abandons the public,” he said.

 

“I am asking for a rigorous press. Check the facts, mine included. Call out disinformation wherever it comes from, including from my own side.

 

 

“In the weeks ahead, the most dangerous lies will not come from newspapers. They will come from anonymous accounts and doctored videos and you are the institution best placed to answer them.”