Tinubu is a lifelong democrat, Sanwo-Olu says

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu presented President Bola Tinubu as a leader determined to leave Nigeria with a stronger democracy than the one he inherited.

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There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony.

Speaking at the seventh annual Freedom Online lecture in Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu pointed to the August 15 Osun governorship election, where Ademola Adeleke defeated APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji by more than 60,000 votes. Adeleke belonged to another political party, yet Tinubu congratulated him after the result and later met him at the Presidential Villa, urging him to unite the state.

“There was a time in this country when ‘federal might’ was a phrase that a ruling party used without irony,” Sanwo-Olu said. He argued that the result showed political power could change hands through voting without undermining the democratic process. Tinubu had described Adeleke’s victory as a “fitting assurance” that democracy would continue to flourish under his administration.

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This President is a lifelong democrat, and he means to leave behind a stronger democracy than he inherited, not only for Nigerians but as an example to a continent that badly needs one.

Sanwo-Olu also praised electoral reforms and technology, but said the Independent National Electoral Commission must be ready for the 2027 elections. “INEC must be ready in every polling unit on the 16th of January and again on the 6th of February, and each of us has a duty to help it be ready,” he said.

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A mandate is only as strong as the process that produced it. No office in this land is worth the life of a single Nigerian and no victory won by the wrong means is a victory at all.

He warned that no political ambition justified the loss of life. “A mandate is only as strong as the process that produced it. No office in this land is worth the life of a single Nigerian and no victory won by the wrong means is a victory at all.” He urged voters to judge leaders by their performance and asked the media to hold politicians accountable. “I am not asking for a compliant press,” he said.

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I am not asking for a compliant press.