By OKE MICHAEL
Democracy should never become a battle of violence, intimidation, and fear.
It is universally acknowledged that democracy means “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” The ballot is at the core of democracy, as it is the peaceful method used by people to express themselves on who should rule them.
However, with the Osun State gubernatorial election just a few days away, there are increasing apprehensions regarding the increasingly negative climate in politics. This is an unavoidable question being raised regarding OSUN 2026: Will it be fought on ballot papers or in gun battles?
This is not a political question. It is the question of the future of democracy in Osun State. An election should never be turned into a war. The political contest must remain a contest of ideas, policies, competence, accountability, and people’s trust, not of intimidation, violence, harassment, arbitrary arrests, or the employment of federal power against one’s political adversaries.
