The Egbe Amofin Oodua has congratulated Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on his victory in the August 15, 2026 governorship election, describing the exercise as a demonstration of democratic participation and a lesson for the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
In a statement signed by the Chairman of its Governing Council, Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, SAN, and the Secretary, Prince Adetunji Oso, SAN, the group also commended the people of Osun State for turning out to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
The Egbe praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its handling of the election, while also commending the security agencies for maintaining the environment required for citizens to cast their ballots.
It acknowledged that the election was not without challenges, including reports of late arrival and isolated technical difficulties, but said the problems did not ultimately overwhelm the electoral process.
However, the group condemned incidents of pre-election violence, killings, intimidation and political attacks in the state.
According to Egbe Amofin, a monitoring report by Kimpact Development Initiative documented 44 election-related violent incidents between October 2025 and June 2026, with 26 of the incidents occurring in May and June alone.
It also recalled that the Inspector-General of Police had visited Osun State and warned political actors that the election was “not a war”.
The group called for the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for election-related violence, regardless of their political affiliation or status.
Egbe Amofin further commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allowing the democratic process to run its course and respecting the choice expressed by Osun voters.
It noted that Adeleke contested on the platform of the Accord Party, while his principal challenger, Bola Oyebamiji, contested under the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party controlling the Federal Government.
The group said the outcome demonstrated that political power should not be confused with ownership of the electorate, adding that democracy becomes meaningful when those in power are prepared to accept the verdict of voters even when it does not favour their political party.
Turning its attention to the Nigerian Bar Association, Egbe Amofin said the Osun election presented an opportunity for the legal profession to examine its own electoral process.
It noted that INEC figures showed that Osun had 2,399,233 registered voters, with 1,906,390 collecting their Permanent Voter Cards and eligible to vote. The election was held across 3,763 polling units, 332 wards and all 30 local government areas of the state.
The group contrasted this with the 2026 NBA election, where, according to figures released after the exercise, 26,184 of 82,172 registered NBA voters participated, representing a turnout of 31.86 per cent.
It also referred to the technical problems that preceded the NBA election, noting that voting was initially scheduled to begin at midnight but was delayed after the Electoral Committee announced that its electronic voting platform had been subjected to what it described as a coordinated cyberattack. Voting eventually commenced at about 7:35am.
According to Egbe Amofin, the subsequent complaints and protests over technical difficulties and alleged voter disenfranchisement raised important questions about the NBA’s electoral architecture.
The group urged the NBA leadership and other stakeholders to draw lessons from the Osun experience, arguing that the professional association should ordinarily set the standard for democratic elections.
It said eligible members of the Bar should not be practically excluded from participating in elections because of technological failures, inadequate preparation, defective verification systems or other avoidable impediments.
“The Bar must therefore continually interrogate its own electoral architecture and ensure that no eligible member is practically excluded from choosing the leadership of the Association,” the statement said.
Egbe Amofin described the Osun election as more than a contest between candidates, saying it demonstrated that democracy was bigger than political parties, candidates and governments.
It urged Adeleke to regard his victory as a renewed contract with the people of Osun State and to use his mandate to pursue greater development, justice, security and prosperity.
The group also urged the opposition to continue to hold the government accountable through lawful and constitutional means, while calling on INEC and the security agencies to improve on the conduct of future elections.
For the people of Osun State, Egbe Amofin said their votes had spoken and urged them to guard their democracy.
The group concluded that the integrity of an election should not be measured merely by the sophistication of its technology, but by the extent to which eligible voters are genuinely enabled to participate and have confidence that their votes will count.
Egbe Amofin Oodua congratulated Gov. Adeleke on his re-election and wished him a successful second term in office.
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