The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has commended the people of Osun State for their courage and vigilance during Saturday’s governorship election, describing the largely peaceful poll as an important lesson for Nigeria ahead of 2027.
HURIWA also praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its conduct of the election and security agencies for providing the environment that enabled voters to exercise their franchise.
A statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the association congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party on his victory, urging him to see his renewed mandate as a responsibility to serve all residents of Osun, including those who voted against him.
HURIWA, however, condemned reported cases of vote buying and pre-election violence, warning that both practices pose serious threats to Nigeria’s democracy.
“Vote buying is electoral robbery disguised as generosity. It turns the constitutional right to vote into a transaction and allows poverty to be exploited as an electoral weapon.”
The group urged INEC, the police, EFCC and ICPC to investigate credible allegations of vote buying, trace the financial networks behind the practice and prosecute electoral offenders regardless of their political affiliation.
HURIWA also called for investigation and prosecution of those responsible for killings and other acts of violence linked to the election.
The association urged political parties and their supporters to abandon the mentality that elections are warfare, stressing that no political ambition is worth the life of a Nigerian.
HURIWA further charged security agencies to remain politically neutral and protect voters, ballots and electoral officials, while urging INEC to incorporate lessons from the Osun election into preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The rights group called on political leaders to embrace reconciliation and seek legal redress where necessary rather than resorting to violence.
“Osun has shown Nigeria what is possible when voters remain determined, electoral officials act professionally and security agencies protect the process. The challenge is to preserve and replicate that standard in 2027.”