Former presidential candidate Martin Onovo of the defunct National Conscience Party has described the outcome of the Osun governorship election as a turning point for Nigeria’s democracy.

Mr Onovo, a political activist, said the election showed Osun residents’ resolve to protect their democratic rights and ensure their votes count.

He said this in an interview on Monday, reacting to the outcome of the election, in which the incumbent, Governor Ademola Adeleke, emerged as the winner.

According to him, the electorate’s will will always prevail if citizens are determined to defend their mandate.

“We are very happy with the results from the Osun gubernatorial election. Osun residents have shown a superior strategy above election rigging. The Osun state gubernatorial election was the decisive point for democracy in Nigeria,” Mr Onovo said.

He said his earlier surveys accurately predicted the Accord Party’s victory in a free and fair election.

Mr Onovo commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for what he described as improved logistics and result transmission during the election.

“We must note that INEC logistics improved and most results were transmitted to the IReV portal. We thank God for that,” he said.

He said the improvements strengthened public confidence in the electoral system and its capacity to reflect the will of voters.

Mr Onovo, however, expressed concern over reported incidents of violence before the election, alleging that some supporters were arrested unfairly while others lost their lives.

He condemned inflammatory statements and threats allegedly made by some political actors, urging politicians to reject violence as a means of achieving political objectives.

“No politician that wants to serve his people will plot to kill the same people. So, any politician or political party that sponsors violence is unpatriotic and must be exposed for prosecution,” he said.

Mr Onovo said the lessons from the Osun election should be used to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions and protect the sanctity of the ballot.

“We want democracy with its rule of law and integrity of the ballot. We reject violence, we reject electoral fraud, and we reject abuse of power,” he said.

He urged political actors and electoral stakeholders to build on the election outcome by strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring citizens freely determine who governs them.

According to results announced by INEC, Mr Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while Mr Oyebamiji scored 444,815 votes.

Mr Adeleke won in 19 of the 30 council areas, while Mr Oyebamiji won in 11, giving the incumbent a margin of 66,252 votes.

(NAN)