The CNPP said the conduct of the Osun electorate, particularly their refusal to surrender their democratic rights to fear, intimidation or threats of violence, offers an important lesson for Nigerians as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.
The organisation said the reported killings and other violent incidents in the build-up to the election made the courage of Osun voters even more significant, noting that the decision of citizens to turn out and participate in the electoral process demonstrated that intimidation must not be allowed to determine who governs the people.
In a statement signed by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, Comrade James Ezema, the umbrella body of registered political parties and political associations in Nigeria said Nigerians must understand that democracy can only survive when citizens actively participate in choosing their leaders.
“Osun State has once again reminded Nigerians that democracy belongs to the people and that the ballot remains one of the most powerful instruments available to citizens for determining who governs them.
“The resilience of the people of Osun State, who refused to be intimidated or driven away from the polling units by the atmosphere of violence and fear that preceded the election, deserves commendation.
“Those who seek to intimidate voters understand one fundamental weakness of democracy: when citizens refuse to participate, they create a vacuum that can be exploited by those who seek to manipulate the electoral process.
“Therefore, ahead of the 2027 general elections, Nigerians must emulate the courage demonstrated by Osun voters. Refusal to vote does not punish politicians; rather, it opens the door and clears the stage for those who may seek to rig elections or impose unpopular leadership,” the CNPP stated.
The CNPP said the outcome of the Osun election should not be viewed merely through the prism of which political party won or lost, but as an important demonstration of the power of citizens to determine electoral outcomes when they participate in sufficient numbers.
According to the organisation, the 2027 elections should be about creating an electoral environment where every eligible Nigerian can freely cast a ballot without intimidation and where every legitimate vote is properly counted and reflected in the final result.
The CNPP therefore urged Nigerians not to allow political violence, threats or deliberate attempts to discourage voter participation to determine the future of the country.
“Every Nigerian who stays away from the polling unit because of fear inadvertently creates an opportunity for someone else to determine the outcome of an election on his or her behalf.
“The message from Osun is simple: do not surrender your democratic power. Come out peacefully, vote, protect your vote through lawful means and demand that your vote counts,” the statement added.
The CNPP also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what it described as a generally improved level of neutrality in the conduct of the Osun governorship election.
However, the organisation said the electoral commission must not regard the Osun experience as the destination, but as a foundation upon which greater transparency, efficiency and credibility must be built ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The CNPP particularly called on INEC to improve the speed and transparency of results management and ensure the early and consistent uploading of polling-unit results on its election results portal.
According to the organisation, delays in uploading results can create an information vacuum that may be exploited by political actors and unscrupulous individuals to circulate fake or fabricated results.
“INEC must understand that in today’s Nigeria, information does not wait. When authentic results are delayed, unverified figures immediately fill the vacuum.
“Such a situation can generate unnecessary suspicion, fuel conspiracy theories and create fertile ground for the circulation of fake results, which can become a recipe for violence.
“INEC must therefore ensure that results are uploaded promptly, transparently and consistently in accordance with its established procedures. Nigerians should not have to rely on social media speculation or unofficial result sheets when the electoral commission has an official results platform,” the CNPP said.
The CNPP further urged INEC to conduct a comprehensive technical review of the biometric accreditation systems and other electronic devices deployed during the Osun election.
The organisation said reports of malfunctioning equipment and difficulties experienced with biometric and electronic systems should not be dismissed as isolated technical inconveniences.
According to the CNPP, every malfunction that prevents or delays a legitimate voter from exercising his or her franchise has the potential to undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
“INEC must identify, document and address every technical failure recorded during the Osun election.
“The commission must ensure that malfunctioning biometric systems, electronic devices and other technological challenges experienced during the election are permanently addressed before the 2027 general elections.
“The population involved in the 2027 elections will be considerably larger and the logistical demands will be much greater. INEC cannot afford to repeat avoidable technological failures on a larger scale,” the statement said.
The CNPP also urged the commission to conduct extensive pre-election testing, stress-testing and public demonstration of relevant electoral technologies well ahead of the 2027 polls.
The CNPP condemned electoral violence, intimidation, threats and attacks against voters, political opponents, electoral officials and other stakeholders.
It urged politicians and their supporters to understand that electoral victory obtained through violence or intimidation cannot produce a stable democracy.
“Politicians and their supporters must understand that Nigeria’s electoral laws criminalise a range of acts capable of undermining the integrity of elections. No political ambition is greater than the peace and security of the Nigerian people.
“We therefore call on all political actors to shun violence, intimidation, vote suppression and every other unlawful conduct before, during and after elections,” the CNPP said.
The organisation also urged security agencies to investigate reported electoral offences thoroughly and ensure that perpetrators, regardless of political affiliation or status, are brought to justice.
As part of broader reforms required to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions, the CNPP called for the immediate establishment of Federal and State Electoral Offences Tribunals dedicated to handling cases arising from electoral violence, intimidation, vote buying, destruction of electoral materials, manipulation of electoral processes and other breaches of the Electoral Act and related laws.
The organisation said the absence of a specialised and sufficiently expeditious mechanism for dealing with electoral offences has contributed to a culture of impunity in which some political actors allegedly treat electoral offences as part of the normal cost of political competition.
“The electoral process cannot be strengthened merely by changing voting technology. We must also strengthen the institutions that punish those who violate electoral laws.
“We need specialised Electoral Offences Tribunals at the federal and state levels with the capacity to investigate, prosecute and swiftly determine cases arising from electoral offences.
“Where perpetrators know that electoral violence and other violations will attract immediate and certain consequences, the incentive to deploy violence as a political strategy will be significantly reduced,” the CNPP said.
The CNPP cautioned opposition political parties and political actors against reducing the 2027 political contest to a mere exercise in political arithmetic, coalition-building or opposition gang-up.
While acknowledging that coalitions, consensus arrangements and political mergers are legitimate features of democratic politics, the organisation said such arrangements must not become substitutes for a credible electoral process.
“What Nigerians need ahead of the 2027 general elections is not political gang-up for its own sake.
“Nigerians need a transparent, free, fair and credible electoral system capable of faithfully delivering the popular wishes of the electorate.
“Coalitions, consensus and mergers are legitimate democratic practices. Political parties have every right to negotiate, realign and form alliances. But none of these should distract attention from the fundamental issue: the integrity of the electoral process,” the CNPP said.
The organisation said political parties must therefore focus not only on who their candidates will be or which parties will merge, but also on building public confidence in elections and strengthening institutions responsible for conducting them.
The CNPP further urged INEC to strictly comply with the Electoral Act and its own published guidelines, insisting that electoral rules must be applied consistently to all political parties and candidates.
“No political party should be above the rules, and no candidate should receive preferential treatment.
“INEC must maintain strict neutrality and ensure that its officials at every level understand that their responsibility is to the Nigerian electorate and the Constitution, not to any political party or candidate.
“The commission must also respect its own guidelines. Where INEC publishes rules and procedures, those rules must be consistently applied and transparently enforced,” the CNPP said.
It added that the credibility of an election depends not only on the final declaration but on the fairness and transparency of every stage of the electoral process.
The CNPP also appealed to the Nigerian judiciary to remain independent and insulated from political influence as the country approaches the 2027 elections.
According to the organisation, the judiciary remains a critical pillar of democracy and must retain the confidence of citizens by ensuring that electoral disputes are determined strictly on the basis of law and credible evidence.
“The judiciary must remain an impartial sanctuary for justice.
“We urge judicial officers to insulate themselves from political influence and ensure that electoral disputes are decided according to the Constitution, the Electoral Act, established judicial principles and the evidence before the courts.
“Only a thriving democracy in which the electorate freely decides who leads them can guarantee lasting political stability and national development,” the CNPP said.
The CNPP said the lessons of Osun should guide preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The organisation called on civil society organisations, the media, election observers, political parties, security agencies, traditional institutions, religious leaders and ordinary citizens to collectively defend the integrity of the electoral process.
It said the responsibility for credible elections cannot rest on INEC alone, stressing that every stakeholder has a role to play in ensuring that Nigeria’s democratic institutions continue to mature.
“Osun has shown that Nigerians can rise above fear and intimidation to exercise their democratic rights.
“The challenge now is to ensure that the courage of Osun voters is replicated across Nigeria in 2027, while the lessons from the election are used to improve the electoral system.
“We must build an electoral environment where voters are protected, political competition is peaceful, technology works, results are transparent, electoral offences are punished and the judiciary remains independent.
“Above all, the Nigerian people must be allowed to freely decide who leads them.
“That is the essence of democracy, and that is the standard Nigeria must strive to achieve in 2027,” the CNPP said.