Enough of the celebrations, folks!
The main gist is that the victory of Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party over the candidate of the All-Progressives Alliance (APC) must not be seen as an electoral Eldorado for the 2027 elections. Yes, it is indeed joyous to see the streets of Osun erupt in well-deserved celebration over the defeat of a candidate heavily backed by President Bola Tinubu and his heavy contingent of state governors. But Nigerians must not mistake this localized outcome as a testament for a guaranteed free and fair general election in 2027.
In the theater of Nigerian politics, nothing is ever exactly as it seems. Events suggest that this victory is merely a masterclass in political deception—a calculated tactical concession designed to lull the nation into a fatal sense of security and democratic maturity. Knowing Tinubu, as we have come to know him, 2027 is a ruthless, do-or-die affair. Thus, it makes sense to picture this pseudo-democratic display as nothing more than a smoke screen.
The script for this dangerous illusion was written and performed just days before the election. In a chilling deployment of state terror, the EFCC first tested the Nigerian resolve by freezing the Osun State government’s accounts barely ten days before the vote. By directly targeting civil servant salaries, the sole aim was to completely break the state's back. This was a classic experiment in public tolerance.
