The G100 has congratulated Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on his re-election, saying the outcome of the governorship election has provided Nigeria’s opposition parties with a template for the 2027 general elections.
The group also commended the people of Osun State for what it described as their determination and courage in the election, saying the outcome demonstrated the strength of collective action in defending democratic choices.
In a statement signed by Salihu Moh. Lukman on behalf of the G100 on Sunday, the group particularly praised leaders and candidates of opposition parties who stepped down from the race, mobilised their structures and supporters, and backed Adeleke.
According to the group, the decision by the opposition candidates to subordinate their individual ambitions to a broader democratic objective was significant beyond the immediate outcome of the Osun election.
“We congratulate, even more importantly, the people of Osun State, whose determination and courage have once again prevailed,” the statement said.
The G100 said the opposition leaders who worked together in support of Adeleke demonstrated that political actors could overcome individual and party interests when confronted with what they considered a larger democratic challenge.
“We also commend the leaders and candidates of the opposition parties who, recognising the larger stakes in this election, set aside their individual ambitions, mobilised their structures and supporters, and worked together in support of Governor Adeleke.
“Their decision was an affirmation that there are moments when the greater democratic interest must come before the ambitions of any individual or political party,” it said.
The group said the significance of the Osun election extended beyond Adeleke’s re-election, arguing that the political strategy adopted by the opposition could offer lessons for the 2027 presidential election.
“The significance of what has happened in Osun goes far beyond the re-election of one Governor. Osun has provided a template for 2027,” the G100 said.
It argued that the major challenge confronting Nigeria’s opposition was not a lack of popular support but the fragmentation of opposition forces.
“For weeks now, the G100 has argued that Nigeria’s opposition does not suffer from a shortage of popular support. Its greatest challenge is fragmentation,” the statement said.
According to the group, the Osun election had demonstrated what could be achieved when opposition parties identify a common objective, make compromises and consolidate their political structures behind a single viable candidate.
The G100 said Adeleke’s victory should serve as an important lesson to opposition leaders preparing for the 2027 elections, particularly those who may have to sacrifice individual ambitions in the interest of a broader political objective.
It noted that the candidates who withdrew from the Osun governorship contest were each entitled to pursue their political ambitions but chose to support a common candidate.
“The governorship candidates who stepped down and supported Governor Adeleke were each entitled to pursue their own ambitions. They chose instead to ask a more important question: what outcome best serves the people and strengthens the democratic cause?” the group said.
The organisation urged opposition leaders at the national level to adopt a similar approach ahead of 2027, saying the political future of the country should take precedence over personal ambitions and party interests.
“That is precisely the question the national opposition must now confront. Nigeria is bigger than any candidate, any ambition and any political party,” it said.
The group said opposition leaders who genuinely believed Nigeria required a different political direction in 2027 must be prepared to demonstrate the same “courage, restraint and willingness to compromise” that, according to it, produced the Osun outcome.
The G100 maintained that the experience in Osun had shown that opposition parties could improve their electoral prospects by working together rather than dividing their support among multiple candidates.
