How will you ensure votes are protected and counted during elections?

It is important for political leaders across the country, especially Lagos State, to desist from actions that promote election violence, such that can compromise peace, unity and democracy in our country. I am concerned about how lackeys of political leaders in Lagos State have unabatedly made ethnic slurs aimed at intimidating voters in the state in tomorrow's election. I have watched with profound disdain a certain video in circulation where some persons known to be associates of the leaders of the ruling party in Lagos State are issuing threats against other ethnic groups in the build up to the Governorship and State House of Assembly election in the state tomorrow. I condemn this uncivilised behaviour and also condemn the criminal silence of the security agencies and the political leadership in Lagos State and Abuja on this development. Every democracy is as virile as the culture of the electoral system that governs it. The democracy that we fought for and operate in Nigeria thrives on the principle of free and equal participation.

Beyond that, I find it morally wrong and repugnant for political actors to make broad-day incitements against a particular ethnic bloc in an attempt to intimidate them from voting for their choice candidate. It is not enough to talk about the promise of a free and fair election. The actions that we take prior to Election Day must have the integrity of a badge of honour. It is, therefore on this note, that I specifically call on security agencies in the country to ensure that politicians and their protégés submit to the rules of democratic fair-play across the country, especially in Lagos State, for the sake of decency and the promotion of peace and unity. -AA

The last presidential election in our country and the way it was managed by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, leaves behind unenviable precedents, which I believe the courts have a duty to redress. Our gains in ensuring transparent elections through the deployment of technology was heavily compromised by INEC in the way it managed the last presidential election, and I am afraid that the judgement of the court as rendered by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal yesterday, failed to restore confidence in our dreams of free and fair elections devoid of human manipulations. Like I did say at the beginning of this legal battle when I instructed my lawyers to file my petition challenging the outcome of the presidential election, my ultimate goal in this pursuit is to ensure that democracy is further strengthened through the principles and processes of fair hearing.

Yet that same INEC undermined the use of that technology during the elections and collation process and declared as winner someone who clearly did not win the Presidential election. They then went further to take sides in the courts in a dogfight to defend their illegality. Who would convince the millions of Nigerians to vote in future elections after they suffered endlessly on queues to register to vote, to collect PVCs and to vote, based on INEC’s assurances only to see their votes stolen and given to someone they did not vote for? When people lose trust and confidence in elections, democracy is practically on life support. And by affirming and legitimizing the continued lack of transparency in our electoral system the courts are continuing to usurp the rights of voters to elect their leaders. The other grave implication is that contestants in Nigeria’s elections should do whatever is necessary to be declared the winner. That includes identity theft, impersonation, forging of educational and other documents, perjury, and violence.

Our country stands at the cusp of a new beginning, and the decisions that voters in the elections on Saturday shall make will determine how ready we are, as a people, to provoke the march to economic and national recovery. I would also like to advocate for a peaceful election this Saturday and urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the opportunity of this by-election to redeem itself of the fraudulent and shambolic elections of 2023. I want to specifically urge members of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party and, indeed, agents of other political parties participating in the elections to conduct themselves according to the laid down regulations on the day of the election. -AA

This afternoon, I received a delegation of young Nigerians led by Pastor Ukpola O. Chinedu from the Nigeria Electoral Reform Coalition (NERCO). I could relate to the urgency in their demands that the National Assembly amend the current electoral act to make electronic transmission of results from polling units mandatory. They are deeply worried that the current Act, which left the mode of transmission of results at the discretion of INEC, negatively impacted the 2023 general elections. They informed me that the group is not only pressuring the National Assembly on mandatory electronic transmission of results but also on taking the powers of appointing INEC officials from the President, vesting it on a transparent recruitment process by citizens. These efforts, they said, are aimed at demanding that every vote counts in our elections. I agree with the group that demanding transparent and credible elections is the way to go.

This afternoon, I received the Enugu Polling Booths Vanguard for Atiku, a group chiefly concerned with the sanctity of the ballots, led by Chief Obodoeze Ocho. They believe that every vote must count in 2027. I fully agree with them that protecting votes at the Polling Units level is vital for the coming elections. I told them that, for us to have credible elections that earn voters' trust, citizens must take the responsibility of safeguarding votes seriously. Votes will count if they are protected by those who cast them. -AA

Young Nigerians will not remain enthusiastic about elections if they believe participation makes no difference. We must continue strengthening the independence and credibility of our electoral institutions and build a country where election day becomes an ordinary democratic exercise rather than a national emergency. I want a Nigeria where people vote peacefully, the votes are counted transparently, the winner governs, the loser prepares for another contest, and the country moves forward. But democracy is not strengthened merely by what we promise for tomorrow. It is strengthened by what we are prepared to defend today. A WARNING ON THE OSUN ELECTION So before I go further, let me speak directly to INEC, the security agencies and the Tinubu administration about the Osun governorship election. What we are witnessing in the build-up to that election is deeply troubling. The scale and posture of security deployment make it appear as though Nigeria is preparing for war rather than conducting an election.

President Tinubu and his administration must resist any temptation to turn institutions of the Nigerian state into instruments of partisan advantage. The police belong to Nigeria. The military belongs to Nigeria. INEC belongs to the Nigerian people. None of them belongs to the APC. And let nobody misunderstand our demand for peaceful elections as weakness. We are asking only for what the Constitution and democracy guarantee every Nigerian: the freedom to vote and the right to have that vote count. If our institutions cannot conduct a free, fair, peaceful and transparent election in one state, Nigerians will legitimately ask what confidence they should have in the general election next year. The world is watching Osun. Nigerians are watching. History is taking notes. So my message to INEC, the security agencies and the Tinubu administration is simple: Let the people vote. Let every vote count.

Question: Why have you moved between political parties several times, and why should Nigerians see those moves as a matter of principle rather than political convenience or personal ambition? Answer: Political parties, in practical terms, are a vehicle for contesting for political offices in a party-system democracy. That is the primary purpose of the political party. Unfortunately, our democracy in Nigeria has not matured to the point where whoever becomes president is subject to the supremacy of the party. Often, the president takes the reins in the ruling party and often constricts opposition from within, leaving no room for what we call internal democracy. In such situations, it becomes impractical for me to remain in the party knowing full well the party has become a one-man dictatorship. I don’t play the yes-man politics. I believe in competitive politics.

3. Stop political defections that betray voters. Strengthen laws and close loopholes that allow elected officials to switch parties without consequence, protecting the integrity of the electoral mandate. Details: ● Require elected officials who defect to automatically vacate their seats and seek a fresh mandate through by-elections 4. Strengthen election integrity through full transparency, technology, and accountability. We will deploy technology and independent oversight to ensure that every vote is counted, results are transparent, and electoral malpractice is detected and punished. Details:

● Make electronic transmission of results mandatory from polling units to prevent tampering ● Introduce electronic collation systems for higher-level aggregation to eliminate manual manipulation ● Mandate the real-time upload of Form EC8B and other result sheets for public verification ● Limit result aggregation to the ward level, ensuring transparency and reducing opportunities for interference at higher levels ● Establish an Electoral Offences Commission to investigate and prosecute electoral crimes independently ● Create an Office of the Independent Chief Elections Auditor under the Commission to audit election materials before voting, monitor the process before final declaration, and conduct post-election audits for accountability ● Require the use of body cameras for all election officials and security personnel on election duty to ensure transparency and deter misconduct 47