Osun 2026: Ballot paper or gun battle
By OKE MICHAEL
Democracy should never become a battle of violence, intimidation, and fear.
It is universally acknowledged that democracy means “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” The ballot is at the core of democracy, as it is the peaceful method used by people to express themselves on who should rule them.
However, with the Osun State gubernatorial election just a few days away, there are increasing apprehensions regarding the increasingly negative climate in politics. This is an unavoidable question being raised regarding OSUN 2026: Will it be fought on ballot papers or in gun battles?
This is not a political question. It is the question of the future of democracy in Osun State. An election should never be turned into a war. The political contest must remain a contest of ideas, policies, competence, accountability, and people’s trust, not of intimidation, violence, harassment, arbitrary arrests, or the employment of federal power against one’s political adversaries.
The latest news and charges of shootings, beatings, arrests, intimidation, and other instances of political confrontation in some parts of Osun State are very disturbing. Each charge merits immediate, transparent, and impartial investigation by the relevant authorities. In case of any criminality, those involved must face justice regardless of their political and social affiliations.
While the biggest threat to democracy is not only the presence of political differences, it is the normalization of violence as the tool of resolving political differences. Once citizens start to believe that victory in politics may be secured by using force and not ballots, democracy is put on trial. Another area that needs immediate attention in the country is public trust in the fairness of the institutions that provide law and order. aThe police, EFCC, and other law enforcement and regulatory agencies are supposed to perform their duties with professionalism and objectivity and be free from any partisan considerations according to constitutional requirements. The trust in these institutions among people is based largely on their ability to uphold the law without fear or favor. If people start thinking, or there is some credible proof, of the selective use of such institutions against political opponents, not only will the victims be affected but even these institutions themselves will be damaged.
None of the political parties must ever exercise control over the mechanisms of law enforcement. It is unfair to persecute any opposition party for opposing the powers. Similarly, no person or organisation can be allowed to evade investigation due to their political affiliation. In cases of complaints regarding wrongful arrests and detention or any kind of abuse of power and intimidation, they must be looked into and dealt with through the process of law. Democracy is not possible where the citizen is afraid to speak out, campaign, or vote.
An election must never be a do-or-die affair. The final say in a democratic election lies in the hands of the electorate. Political figures are contesting, not owning the electorate. Political parties are platforms, not alternatives to the will of the electorate. Security agencies are agencies of the state, not means of political warfare.
The people of Osun State are able to make up their own minds. They don’t need political threats to be told whom to vote for. They don’t need violence from political hooligans to decide their political choices. They don’t need intimidation, coercion, or manipulation.
What they need is an atmosphere to listen to the different contestants, judge their records and programmes, and vote accordingly. The question must not then be “Who has the most potent political machinery?” The question must be: “Who has earned the trust of the people?” That is the spirit of democracy. Osun should not be a political battleground. Osun State is the property of its people. It is not the exclusive property of any political party, political dynasty, godfather, or any incumbent or opposition. Osun should not be made a battleground just because people are fighting for power. Politicians seeking elective positions need to realise that political power is transient, but the damage done to democratic institutions will stay on for a long time to come. It is, thus, very important that all the political parties, candidates, their supporters, and allies pledge to conduct themselves peacefully.
The security agencies also need to show professionalism and impartiality in the run-up to the elections, during, and after the voting process. It is not their duty to protect one political party but rather the Nigerian citizenry.
Finally, the electoral commission should make sure that every citizen who is qualified to vote is allowed to do so freely and that the votes are counted accurately.
“VOTE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN BULLET.” It is not democratic to force a citizen to vote under the threat of a gun. It is not democratic to deny one’s political opponent the right to campaign. And there is nothing democratic in using state machinery to resolve political disputes. A bullet may silence an individual, but it will not provide legitimacy to the leader. A threat may intimidate a voter, but it will not make the leader popular. An arrest may get a political rival off the streets for the moment, but it cannot extinguish the dreams of millions of people.
The people alone can give legitimacy in democracy. That is the reason why all parties to the 2026 Osun elections must safeguard the integrity of the ballot.
Political leaders need to cool down the atmosphere. The candidates should control their followers. Security agencies should behave professionally. Election officials should maintain neutrality. Civil society groups and the media should hold the powers to account. And, above all, the people must be allowed to exercise their democratic rights freely. Let the vote decide. Osun State boasts of an illustrious past, a politically enlightened populace, and citizens who deserve much better than political violence.
The elections in 2026 should thus serve as a showcase of democratic maturity and not a game of threats. Let the campaign revolve around roads, education, health care, jobs, security, farming, infrastructure, economic growth, and people’s well-being — and not “Baba Sope.” Let the aspirants sell themselves to the electorate by means of their credentials and manifestoes.
Let the political parties fight each other, but in peace. Let the people choose.
And once the choice has been made by the people, everybody should respect it except for the prescribed legal process. The decision facing Osun State is clear — ballot or blood; democracy or intimidation; peaceful contestation or political violence.
As fellow Nigerians who are dedicated to the cause of democratic governance, it is incumbent on us to ensure that the ballot prevails above all else and not the bullet.
Osun 2026 should not go down in history as an election conducted through fear but one where the people chose their leaders democratically. The power resides in the people. The mandate lies with the people. And only the people, not godfathers, thugs, or coercive apparatuses, can decide who will rule them.
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