Sanwo-Olu: APC Could Lose South-West State Without Issues Under Tinubu

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) losing the Osun governorship election shows that democracy is getting stronger in Nigeria.

Sanwo-Olu made this statement on Thursday at the seventh annual lecture by Freedom Online at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos. He discussed Nigeria's democratic growth and the upcoming 2027 elections.

He referred to the August 15 Osun election, where Governor Ademola Adeleke from another party won, as proof of President Bola Tinubu's dedication to democratic values.

Adeleke beat the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, by over 60,000 votes.

Sanwo-Olu noted that the result showed that political power can change hands through voting without harming democracy.

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."

Describing Tinubu as a lifelong democrat, the governor said the President wants to build a stronger democracy for Nigerians.

"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.

Tinubu congratulated Adeleke after the Osun election. He described Adeleke's win as a "fitting assurance" that democracy will continue to grow under his leadership.

Later, the President met Adeleke at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He urged him to bring unity to the state.

Sanwo-Olu praised electoral reforms and the use of technology. He added that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be 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," he said.

The governor warned politicians against violence and electoral malpractice. He said no political ambition is worth the loss of life.

"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.

He encouraged voters to judge political leaders based on their performance. He also asked the media to hold politicians accountable, no matter their party.

"I am not asking for a compliant press," Sanwo-Olu said.

"A compliant press is of no use to a democracy; it flatters the powerful and abandons the public.

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

He warned that misinformation and false content could be a serious threat before the 2027 elections.

"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," he said.