A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), political parties and electoral stakeholders has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain the standards recorded in the Osun governorship election.

The coalition said the standards should serve as the minimum benchmark for the 2027 general elections.

The coalition made the call on Thursday in Abuja at a national post-election discourse and roundtable on the outcome of the Osun governorship election and INEC’s performance.

The group comprises opposition political parties, the African Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR) and ethnic youth leaders in Nigeria.

These include the Arewa Consultative Youth Movement, Ohanaeze Youth Movement, Middle Belt Youth Forum, Oduduwa Consultative Youth Movement and the PBAT Door-2-Door Movement.

Reading the coalition’s joint address, the national organising secretary of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Obed Agu, said the Osun election represented a victory for democracy and a new benchmark for 2027.

He urged President Bola Tinubu, INEC and the political class to sustain the gains recorded in Osun and ensure that the 2027 elections surpassed the standard set by the state poll.

“Osun must not become an exception; Osun must become the benchmark. The standard achieved in Osun must be the floor below which the 2027 general elections must not fall.

“If Nigeria can conduct an election in which political parties compete, voters freely choose, security agencies remain neutral, and INEC operates independently, there is hope for credible elections.

“If results reflect the will of the electorate, then there is no justification for returning to the old culture of intimidation, manipulation and electoral interference.

 “The 2027 election must be better than Osun: more transparent, more inclusive, more technologically secure, more predictable and more trusted by Nigerians,” he said.

Mr Agu said that after two days of post-election assessment, the coalition concluded that the Osun election met approximately 92 per cent of its review benchmarks.

He listed the parameters as institutional independence, adherence to the electoral timetable, security professionalism, polling procedures, and electronic transmission of results through the INEC result viewing (IReV) platform.

“Our objective was not to determine who won politically, but to examine how the election was conducted, what worked, and whether key institutions demonstrated commitment to credible elections.

“Based on reports, observations and stakeholder experiences, the Osun election met approximately 92 per cent of the benchmarks adopted for review. While no election is perfect, the process demonstrated meaningful progress,” he added.

The coalition passed a vote of confidence in INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, and President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Agu said the group unanimously passed a vote of confidence in Mr Amupitan for his leadership, adherence to timelines and engagement with political parties, describing him as a “new democratic hero” following the Osun exercise.

He, however, urged the INEC chairman not to rest on the achievement but to safeguard public confidence by protecting the commission’s independence and expanding electoral technology.

Mr Agu said Mr Amupitan should be judged by his conduct in office rather than the circumstances surrounding his appointment, emphasising that “the appropriate test is his conduct in office.”

He said the commission’s conduct in Osun demonstrated the importance of an electoral umpire operating with independence and integrity.

Mr Agu said election credibility depended largely on the electoral commission’s ability to resist political pressure and allow voters to determine the outcome.

“The most important achievement of any election is not necessarily who wins or who loses. It is whether the people believe that they had a genuine opportunity to determine their leadership through the ballot,” he said.

According to Mr Agu, the Osun election strengthened public confidence by creating an environment where voters could exercise their constitutional rights and have their votes counted.

He described INEC as an impartial referee whose responsibility was not to determine winners but to establish conditions under which the electorate could freely determine the outcome.

“Mr chairman, you have demonstrated through the Osun election that the credibility of an electoral institution ultimately depends on the courage, independence and integrity with which its leadership performs its constitutional responsibilities,” he said.

Mr Agu also commended INEC for maintaining regular consultations with political parties and exercising institutional restraint regarding party deregistrations.

“An appointment by a President does not automatically make an electoral umpire an instrument of the presidency. The true test is conduct, and Amupitan has earned our confidence through performance,” he added.

He also commended President Tinubu for maintaining federal neutrality, citing his directive to unfreeze the Osun State government’s bank accounts before the election and instructions to security forces to ensure a fair contest.

He commended security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), State Security Service (SSS), Nigerian Army and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), for their professionalism during the election.

Congratulating Governor Ademola Adeleke on his victory, Mr Agu urged him to see the mandate as an opportunity to unite the state and provide effective governance rather than settle political scores.

He also called for responsible opposition across political divides, emphasising that civil society and political parties should commend government institutions when elections were conducted transparently.

Mr Agu called on the National Assembly to continue reviewing the electoral framework and addressing weaknesses identified in the Electoral Act.

Speaking on behalf of the African Centre for Justice and Human Rights, Precious Okonda said democracy should ultimately be measured by citizens’ freedom to choose their leaders without intimidation, coercion or fear.

Ms Okonda said the organisation was encouraged by the conclusions of the two-day discourse, describing them as evidence of “meaningful progress” in democratic participation.

She commended Mr Tinubu for allowing the federal government to maintain neutrality during the Osun election, emphasising that “neutrality by government is not a political favour. It is a democratic obligation.”

She also commended Mr Amupitan for demonstrating commitment to institutional independence, stakeholder engagement, electoral preparation and credible electoral administration.

Ms Okonda, however, said civil society would continue to monitor INEC and demand accountability to ensure sustained improvement in the electoral process.

On his part, national coordinator of the Ethnic Youth Organisations of Nigeria, Melega Godwin, warned politicians against recruiting young Nigerians as political thugs during elections.

Mr Godwin lamented that youths were often the first victims of electoral violence and should instead be encouraged to participate meaningfully in the democratic process.

“Nigerian youth do not want to be instruments of electoral violence anymore. We want to be participants in democracy,” he said.

Mr Godwin urged young Nigerians to reject vote-buying, intimidation, ethnic hatred and electoral violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

(NAN