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Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the Federal Government to ensure a credible, transparent and peaceful governorship election in Osun State on Saturday.
Speaking at the ADC National Youth Leadership Summit in Abuja on Wednesday, Atiku described the August 15 governorship election as a major test of Nigeria’s electoral credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He warned against the militarisation of the poll, saying the heavy deployment of security personnel should not intimidate voters or undermine the democratic process.
According to him, elections are civic exercises and should not be conducted as military operations.
“Ballot papers are not bullets. Voters are not enemy combatants. Opposition members are not insurgents,” Atiku said.
He questioned why similar security resources were not being deployed to tackle terrorists, kidnappers and bandits threatening communities across the country.
The former vice-president also cautioned INEC against what he described as “mysterious glitches,” unexplained delays or any form of manipulation during the election process.
He called for the timely distribution of election materials, unhindered voting, transparent vote counting and credible electronic transmission of results.
“The police belong to Nigeria. The military belongs to Nigeria. INEC belongs to the Nigerian people. None of them belongs to the APC,” he stated.
Atiku added that both Nigerians and the international community would be closely monitoring the conduct of the election, urging authorities to allow the will of the electorate to prevail.
He also revisited his long-standing concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s Chicago State University certificate, alleging discrepancies in the dates, signatures and descriptions on different versions of the document.
Atiku questioned the authenticity of the certificate submitted to INEC, asking Chicago State University to clarify which version it issued and who authorised it.
Citing constitutional provisions on the submission of forged certificates, he argued that the document presented to the electoral commission should be independently authenticated.
On youth inclusion, Atiku pledged that at least 30 per cent of legislative candidates under his political agenda would be under the age of 40, with a significant number below 30.
He urged young Nigerians to actively participate in politics by registering to vote, organising at the grassroots and taking up leadership roles, insisting that meaningful political change requires sustained engagement beyond social media activism.
