Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its handling of last weekend’s Osun State governorship election, particularly the delay in uploading election results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Okonkwo, who spoke on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, said INEC’s performance during the election was not satisfactory and called on the electoral commission to explain why the uploading of results on the IReV portal was suspended.
The ADC chieftain said he would not commend INEC for the conduct of the election despite describing the outcome as a victory for the people of Osun State.
“I am not congratulating INEC whatsoever for what happened in Osun State,” Okonkwo said.
According to him, the uploading of results to the IReV portal was reportedly halted around 8 p.m., raising concerns among stakeholders and voters about the transparency of the process.
He said INEC had a responsibility to explain why the process was stopped and why residents had to go to collation centres to ensure that their votes were protected.
“By 8 p.m., they suspended the uploading of results on IReV, and nobody has come out to tell us why, and they must come out to tell us why. So there is still apprehension, and I’m telling you that the performance of INEC is not to be applauded. It is to be questioned,” he said.
Okonkwo further urged opposition political parties to begin preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections, arguing that Nigeria’s electoral system still had significant shortcomings that needed to be addressed.
The ADC chieftain also commended the people of Osun State for what he described as their determination to protect their votes despite the challenges surrounding the election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, winner of the governorship election after he secured 511,067 votes.
His closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), polled 444,815 votes, while the ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke, who was first elected governor of Osun State in 2022, has consequently secured another four-year term in office.
Despite the ADC’s third-place finish, Okonkwo described the party’s performance as commendable, noting that it contested the election without the advantage of state or federal government machinery.
“Our performance was very commendable because we didn’t have the state apparatus in the state. We didn’t have the Federal Government apparatus,” he said.
He added that the party was satisfied that the opposition had demonstrated its capacity to participate meaningfully in the electoral process despite operating without government machinery.
Okonkwo also praised Osun voters for resisting what he described as intimidation and manipulation before, during and after the election.
He said the outcome demonstrated that voters could influence electoral outcomes when they remained determined to defend their votes.
The ADC chieftain described Adeleke’s victory as decisive and congratulated the governor and the people of Osun State on the outcome of the election.
He also linked the result to the wider opposition movement ahead of the 2027 elections, saying it could serve as an indication of what may happen in the next general election.
According to Okonkwo, the Osun election demonstrated that the will of the electorate could prevail when voters remained committed to protecting their mandate.
He further cited comments attributed to former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, that the Osun election could be a forerunner of what to expect in 2027.
Okonkwo said the election had also shown the importance of voters defending their ballots against electoral malpractice, including alleged vote-buying and manipulation.
Earlier in the election campaign, Atiku and other ADC leaders, including former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, had participated in the party’s campaign activities in Osogbo in support of Salaam.
The ADC’s performance in the election is expected to further shape the party’s strategy as opposition parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
