Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri has inaugurated the presidential and National Assembly campaigns of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Fintiri, represented by his Deputy, Prof.

Kaletapwa Farauta, on Wednesday, in Yola urged Adamawa residents to vote for APC candidates at all levels during the elections.

Addressing the crowd Farauta commended President Bola Tinubu’s policies and programmes, describing them as laudable.

She said the campaign inauguration provided an opportunity to appreciate Tinubu for his efforts to reposition Nigeria for progress and development.

According to her, the state government remains committed to supporting Tinubu and all APC candidates, assuring the party of its unwavering support.

Farauta urged party supporters to vote for APC candidates from the presidential to the state level to ensure victory in the 2027 elections.

She also announced plans for door-to-door campaigns across the state to mobilise voters and secure victory for all APC candidates.

“We should all vote for APC from top to bottom and from bottom to top.

“We will go door-to-door, house to house, village to village and stand shoulder to shoulder to ensure that APC wins overwhelmingly in Adamawa State,” she said.

The APC Chairman in Adamawa, Alhaji Bello Madagali, thanked party members and supporters for their impressive turnout at the campaign inauguration.

Madagali called for sustained campaigns across the nooks and crannies of the state to mobilise support for the party’s presidential and National Assembly candidates.

Similarly, Zakari Hashimu, North-East Zonal Coordinator, P- BAT Door-to-Door Movement, commended APC members and supporters for their commitment to the party.

Hashimu pledged that the movement would mobilise 10 million votes for President Tinubu to enable him consolidate on the gains of his administration.

APC Senatorial candidate for Adamawa Central, Mustapha Salihu, who spoke on behalf of National Assembly candidates, described the inauguration as the beginning of a new era for Nigeria.

Salihu urged Nigerians to support Tinubu, APC National Assembly candidates and other party flag bearers to sustain ongoing development initiatives.

He thanked Tinubu for providing a platform for the candidates to present their programmes to the electorate, while citing the administration’s people-oriented policies and development initiatives.

By David Torough, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu and former President Goodluck Jonathan have called for restraint and responsible political conduct ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, with both leaders warning, from different perspectives, against practices capable of undermining democratic stability.

Tinubu, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, spoke in Abuja at the signing of the peace accord ahead of the 2027 elections.

He urged political parties and candidates to reject violence, hate speech, misinformation and the use of ethnicity and religion to gain political advantage.

Declaring that elections should not be treated as a battle for survival, the President said, “Let us remember that elections are not a do-or-die affair. We are partners in the project of nation-building. Win or lose, our country, Nigeria, must be the ultimate winner.”

He called on politicians to campaign on ideas, debate policies and place the national interest above personal or partisan ambitions. Tinubu also pledged the commitment of the All Progressives Congress to peaceful and transparent elections, including opposition to incitement and misinformation, particularly on social media.

The President noted that Nigeria’s electoral process had improved with the deployment of technology by the Independent National Electoral Commission, citing the Permanent Voter Cards and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System as measures that have helped reduce manipulation, ballot stuffing and snatching.

According to him, the off-cycle elections conducted in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun between October 2025 and August 15, 2026 demonstrated the country’s capacity to conduct credible elections. He said the different outcomes in the states showed that political parties could win through a transparent process, while credible elections could reduce post-election disputes.

But Jonathan, in a statement titled “Osun and the Need to Set New Boundaries for Political Conduct in Off-Cycle Elections,” raised a different but related concern over the growing involvement of powerful political figures in state elections.

The former president called for an urgent national stakeholders’ engagement to address what he described as the increasing practice of serving governors, senior public officials, party leaders and other political heavyweights descending on states during off-cycle elections, often accompanied by large numbers of aides and security personnel.

While commending INEC, security agencies, political parties and the people of Osun for the peaceful conduct of the recent governorship election, Jonathan warned that excessive political mobilisation on Election Day could create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation and undue pressure.

He recalled similar developments during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections, saying that as president at the time, he ordered party leaders and senior government officials to leave the affected states.

Jonathan argued that political parties have every right to mobilise supporters and deploy legitimate structures, but warned that overwhelming displays of political and governmental power could undermine free and peaceful competition.

He also cautioned that if the practice becomes normal, opposing parties could begin matching political influence with political influence, turning elections into battles for political survival rather than contests for the people’s mandate.

The former president therefore urged the National Peace Committee to convene a broad stakeholders’ meeting involving political parties, INEC, security agencies, the National Assembly, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, civil society organisations and the media.

He said such a dialogue would help establish clear boundaries for political conduct before practices considered unusual today become accepted as normal.

While Tinubu’s message centred on preventing ethnic, religious and violent politics, Jonathan’s intervention focused on the conduct and influence of powerful political actors during elections. Together, their interventions underscore growing concerns over how political competition is managed as Nigeria moves towards the 2027 general elections.

By David Torough, Abuja

Governor Ademola Adeleke has won a second term in office after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.

Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 444,815 votes.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third with 17,180 votes.

The State Returning Officer, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, declared Adeleke the winner at the INEC collation centre at about 7:24 a.

m. on Sunday.

Ogunwole said 1,005,800 votes were cast, comprising 985,079 valid votes and 20,721 rejected ballots. Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji carried 11.

The result gives Adeleke another four-year mandate after his election as governor in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He subsequently moved to the Accord Party ahead of the 2026 election.

President Bola Tinubu congratulated Adeleke on his re-election, saying the outcome reflected the will and confidence of the people of Osun State.

Tinubu said he had personally called Adeleke to congratulate him and urged the governor to use his renewed mandate to unite the people and pursue the state’s growth, stability and socio-economic development.

The President also commended the other contestants for their participation and praised INEC and the security agencies for conducting what he described as a peaceful and transparent election that produced a clear winner.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), through its Chairman, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, similarly congratulated Adeleke, attributing his victory partly to his achievements and personal qualities.

The forum commended Osun voters for their large turnout and praised security agencies for containing the violence recorded in the days preceding the election, thereby creating a relatively secure environment for the poll.

Former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki also congratulated Adeleke, saying the result demonstrated the power of citizens to defend their democratic choices.

Former presidential candidate Peter Obi described the victory as an important democratic achievement and praised Osun voters, particularly youths, for what he called their peaceful defence of their votes.

Speaking after his victory at his country home in Ede, Adeleke called for peace and unity, particularly after weeks of pre-election violence in parts of the state.

The governor observed a minute’s silence for victims of the violence and appealed to community leaders and traditional institutions to promote reconciliation and peace-building.

He said his second term would focus on accelerating development and widening the scope of good governance, promising to consolidate his achievements while correcting his mistakes.

Adeleke declared that there was “no victor, no vanquished” and extended an olive branch to his opponents, stressing that he remained governor of all Osun residents.

He said his administration would pursue his renewed five-point agenda and work towards transforming Osun from a predominantly civil-service state into an industrial and investment destination.

The governor also thanked President Tinubu for what he described as his support for a free and fair election and reaffirmed his endorsement of the President for a second term in 2027, describing Tinubu as a “son of Osun State.”

The APC, however, has declined to concede defeat, saying it is studying the results and consulting its legal team before deciding its next course of action.

In a statement by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the party said it would explore all constitutional avenues available under the Electoral Act, including the election tribunal and subsequent appellate courts, to address what it described as anomalies in the electoral process.

The party urged its members and supporters to remain calm and law-abiding while it considers its options, and appealed to the police to protect its members from alleged attacks.

Meanwhile, jubilation broke out in Ile-Ife following INEC’s declaration of Adeleke as winner.

Residents and party supporters expressed satisfaction with the largely peaceful conduct of the election. Accord Party leader Busayo Arayela commended traditional rulers, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, for their appeals for peace before the poll.

Osun Commissioner for Transportation, Olusesan Oyedele, also praised voters and electoral officials for maintaining order and urged residents to sustain the peaceful atmosphere after the declaration.

With the result now declared, attention turns to the transition to Adeleke’s second term, while the APC’s proposed legal response could determine the next phase of the closely contested Osun political battle.