The Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Okechukwu Nwanguma, has said the conduct of the Osun State governorship election demonstrated that Nigeria already possesses the institutional capacity to deliver credible elections but lacks the political will, institutional discipline and accountability required to sustain them.
In a statement, Nwanguma said the experience in Osun underscored the importance of professionalism and neutrality by security agencies in protecting democratic processes.
“The principal lesson from Osun is that Nigeria does not lack the institutional capacity to secure credible elections; what it lacks is consistent political will, institutional discipline and accountability across the electoral cycle,” Nwanguma said.
He noted that security agencies have a pivotal role to play in strengthening democracy when they remain impartial and professional.
“Where security agencies remain professional and neutral, they can become protectors of democracy rather than instruments of political competition. Where they succumb to partisan influence, intimidation, selective enforcement or impunity, they can become a threat to the very democratic process they are mandated to protect,” he stated.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Nwanguma called for the establishment of an Election Security Compact involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigeria Police Force, other security agencies, political parties, civil society organisations and election observers.
According to him, the proposed compact should be built around measurable commitments to neutrality, protection of voters, prevention of electoral violence and vote inducement, human rights-compliant policing, rapid incident response, transparent accountability and independent monitoring.
Nwanguma urged stakeholders to regard the Osun election as an opportunity to improve Nigeria’s electoral process rather than simply celebrate it as a peaceful poll.
“Osun should not merely be celebrated as another peaceful election. It should be studied as an opportunity to institutionalise what worked, confront what failed, and ensure that the professionalism observed in the early hours of voting becomes the standard for every stage of Nigeria’s 2027 electoral process,” he said.
