By Obiora Obayi, Dike Ezema and Aniebo Nwamu*
Accord Party’s victory in the Osun State governorship election of August 15, 2026, stands as a sobering reminder that the electorate can no longer be cajoled or manipulated by political theatrics. Now we know that APC is not invincible and that the noise its media hirelings make is meant to discourage the people from defending their votes! The word on the street suggests that the people are now resolute to make their voices heard, loudly and unmistakably, through the ballot box.
This sentiment is not confined to one locality; it echoes across Nsukka, Enugu, Aba, Otukpo, the Federal Capital Territory, and beyond. Under this climate of heightened political consciousness, rigging will simply not work. People are prepared to protect their votes, even with their lives if necessary. Those close to the grass roots hear this resolve directly and unfiltered.
In Enugu State in particular, it would be as improbable as a camel passing through the eye of a needle for any candidate under the All Progressives Congress (APC) to secure victory in 2027. Compounding the political tension within the state is the visible discontent among the foot soldiers of Governor Peter Mbah, most notably his local government chairmen whose actions or inactions have made his governance increasingly difficult. Most of them have been alienated from their constituents.
Ademola Adeleke’s victory under the Accord Party platform gives us hope that corrupt elements in INEC, APC and PDP could be conquered easily. It could be likened to Peter Obi’s performance in 2023 under little known Labour Party. The oppressed but voiceless majority would always triumph once they’re enlightened enough to confront their oppressors.
Awaken the people now!
We must ignore the media noise meant to weaken and frighten the people. Even cowards do summon courage in the face of threat to their lives. All that is needed is the people’s determination to vote and protect their votes. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” The propaganda on social media is meant to bamboozle the people and cover up the criminal activities of the oppressors. Once we troop out to our polling units on election day, all the election bandits, including corrupt INEC officials and compromised security operatives, would take to their heels. Sovereignty still rests on the people.
Evil thrives on people’s ignorance and cowardice. Or which enlightened Nigerian voter would deliberately vote for APC at the presidential election, given all they have suffered under the party since 2015? Who but a loony in Enugu State would vote for APC, given all they’ve endured for the past three years?
The people don’t eat well or live well. The prices of food, fuel and everything else have made life unbearable in the country. Treasury looting, inhuman taxation, nepotism and white elephant projects have made Enugu pitiable. Markets have been demolished without notice or compensation, and motor parks built on their ashes, leading to the untimely deaths of hundreds of victims in Nsukka, Enugu and other places.
If we are serious, neither INEC nor the judiciary can change the will of the people in 2027. The most important thing is for Nigerians to understand the power they have. Those who paint pictures of El dorado on television and other media just to fool the outside world are being clever by half. The day the citizens of Nigeria wake up and realise the power they possess, all political actors and institutions will sit up. We saw how the people of Osun remained vigilant and stayed awake to protect their votes. That is exactly what Nigeria needs. People have to be revolutionary in their determination to defend their rights and protect the integrity of their votes.
In Osun, they confronted armed thugs, overpowered them, and gave them the beating of their lives. If such resistance can happen in the South, imagine what could happen in the North during the 2027 elections. We’re laughing at some people because they have no idea what may happen in 2027. People are not smiling at all. Unless the politicians are prepared to commit mass murder, it won’t be easy for them at all.
Street credibility is the invisible thread that binds a leader to his people. It is the shared language, the common tongue that assures the ordinary man that the person in power still understands his struggles, still speaks as he speaks, and still feels as he feels. Yet, history has repeatedly shown that once many leaders are elected and handed the mandate to govern, they gradually shed this street wisdom. They retreat into the comfort of personal ambition, focusing on private wealth and self-serving infrastructure rather than the collective welfare of those who elevated them.
Some individuals may recognise the truth of a matter, yet they choose to prioritise their wallets over the communal good of governance and representation. This is a dangerous gamble, for the people, ultimately, remain first above every personal or political interest.
Self help
We heard that, in Osun, the youths surrounded the INEC’s state collation centre in Osogbo before reason prevailed on the authorities to do the will of the Osun people. That was the tactic Rabiu Kwankwaso deployed to ensure Gov. Abba Yusuf’s victory in Kano in 2023. And that was what Nsukka youth did in 2023 to make sure that incumbent PDP governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was defeated by LP’s Okey Ezea in the Enugu North senatorial district election.
Much as this emerging trend is disturbing, anyone in the opposition hoping to win election in 2027 without sufficient investment in self help is only coming to waste the people’s precious time. Few people will be ready to “go to court” where justice is offered to the highest bidder.
No leader should presume to tell the people what is best for them, especially those who sacrificed their time, resources and energy to vote them into office. These same people once gave their all when everyone spoke a unified language of hope and purpose. For instance, we passed through hell in 2023 to defend the electoral mandates of Labour Party candidates especially in Enugu State. Our opponents used stolen billions of naira to bribe corrupt INEC officials and later corrupt judges. Only in the governorship contest in Enugu — and the presidential election — did they succeed in subverting the will of the electorate. But all the lawmakers we elected, except Senator Okey Ezea and Hon. Harrison Ogara, soon abandoned us and went back to the same people that had robbed the governorship candidate. Even the governorship candidate Chijioke Edeoga threw us under the bus! They’ll surely receive their comeuppance in 2027.
What could possibly justify a sudden departure from our shared vision? The answer often lies in four corrosive forces: greed, the fear of the unknown, miscalculation, and the undue influence of individuals who were never part of the original struggle yet now dictate policy and offer counsel. Even Christ, the ultimate model of leadership, frequently paused to ask his apostles, “Who do people say I am?” This question embodies the very essence of self-awareness. A genuine leader must continually retreat from the noise of office to revisit his original campaign promises, ensuring he remains faithful to the path he initially charted.
Anyone who genuinely aspires to get his victory on the ballot must begin, without delay, to address the fundamental needs of the people and make himself more accessible. Political success in this era will not be determined by grand promises or inherited loyalty but by authentic connection. If a leader does not speak the language of the people, he should not expect to earn their votes.
*Obayi, Ezema and Nwamu shared their views on WhatsApp today.
