‘Osun is a test’ — Atiku warns Tinubu, security agencies against turning guber poll into war

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has warned President Bola Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies against allowing the Osun governorship election to become a militarised exercise.

Atiku spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at the national youth leadership summit of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The ADC presidential candidate said the scale and posture of security deployment ahead of the election are “deeply troubling”, arguing that the atmosphere surrounding the poll appeared more like preparations for war than a democratic exercise.

“Elections are civil engagements, not military operations. Ballot papers are not bullets. Voters are not enemy combatants. Opposition members are not insurgents,” Atiku said.

He questioned the rationale for deploying what he described as overwhelming security capacity for an election when terrorists, kidnappers and bandits continue to kill Nigerians, abduct children and displace communities.

“If Nigeria possesses this enormous security capacity, Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question: why is the same overwhelming force not being deployed against the terrorists, kidnappers and bandits who are killing our people, abducting our children and driving citizens from their communities?” he asked.

Atiku said security agencies should protect voters rather than frighten them, adding that their responsibility was to secure the electoral process and ensure that citizens could exercise their franchise freely.

Turning to INEC, the ADC presidential candidate described the Osun election as a test of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

“Osun is a test,” he said.

Atiku warned against what he described as “mysterious glitches”, unexplained delays or manipulation of the electoral process.

He demanded that election materials arrive promptly, accredited voters be allowed to vote freely, ballots be counted honestly and results transmitted transparently in accordance with the law.

The former vice-president also cautioned the Tinubu administration against using government institutions for partisan advantage.

“The police belong to Nigeria. The military belongs to Nigeria. INEC belongs to the Nigerian people. None of them belongs to the APC,” he said.

Atiku said demanding a peaceful election should not be interpreted as weakness, insisting that Nigerians were only asking for their constitutional rights to vote and have their votes counted.

He warned that any failure to conduct a free, fair, peaceful and transparent election in Osun could raise questions about public confidence in the 2027 general election.

“If our institutions cannot conduct a free, fair, peaceful and transparent election in one state, Nigerians will legitimately ask what confidence they should have in the general election next year,” he said.

He therefore called on INEC, security agencies and the Tinubu administration to allow voters to exercise their rights without intimidation.

“Let the people vote. Let every vote count. And let the will of the people prevail,” Atiku said.

Atiku also used the summit to call on young Nigerians to take a more active role in politics, urging them to “register, organise and lead”.

He said young people should not remain campaign tools for politicians who exclude them from decision-making after elections.

Under the ADC’s political programme, Atiku said at least 30 percent of the party’s legislative candidates would be below the age of 40, with a significant number below 30.

He said the commitment would give younger Nigerians greater access to political leadership and representation.

The ADC presidential candidate also outlined proposals on youth financing, education, digital connectivity, security and electoral reform.

He promised to expand access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people in the creative economy, while pledging reforms in education to place greater emphasis on science, technology, vocational training, agriculture, digital skills and entrepreneurship.

Atiku further criticised the Tinubu administration over economic hardship, unemployment and the growing number of young Nigerians leaving the country in search of opportunities abroad.

He said the country needed leadership focused on reducing hardship rather than continually asking citizens to endure it.

“Leadership is not the art of explaining suffering. Leadership is the responsibility to reduce it,” he said.

The former vice-president also renewed his criticism of discrepancies he said had been raised over the certificate President Tinubu presented to INEC, arguing that political leaders should be held to the same standards expected of ordinary Nigerians.