Deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, says her party is confident of winning the 2027 election in the state, noting that they are not afraid of litigation should any arise.
Sowunmi-Kolapo, who is also a member of the NGE, having been an editor at Punch newspaper and now the publisher of The Point, spoke on the sidelines of the ongoing Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) conference in Enugu yesterday.
The deputy governorship candidate spoke against the backdrop of a paper titled “Election Petitions in the Digital Age: Independence, Evidence, BVAS and the Courts,” delivered by a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN).
Explaining that INEC has a lot to do ahead of the 2027 polls to ensure minimal litigations after the election, Sowunmi-Kolapo added that the PDP in Ogun State would win the election by a wide margin, no matter what the ruling party does.
“When elections become very transparent, most participants usually accede to defeat. Most post-election litigations arise from alleged unfairness and fraud at the polls,” she said.
Kolapo said that the 2027 general elections would no longer be a litmus test for INEC and the Judiciary but would determine whether Nigeria’s democracy could still stand.
“INEC and the courts must weigh the implications of any intentional denial at the polls. Most Nigerians have lost interest in the elections, but 2027 will determine whether participatory democracy returns to the country.
“Nigerians are wiser. The youth have come of age and are poised to see that the right thing is done.
“In Ogun state, we are not just campaigning, we are educating people on their rights to vote, protect their votes and resist intimidation by those who are not even true stakeholders like them.
“The media also have a huge role to play in advocacy to ensure that the right thing is done,” she said.
The deputy governorship candidate, however, said that, contrary to the notion that there would be no contest in some states, the Ogun election would be keenly contested and “the PDP will emerge victorious.”
“Our people in Ogun state are ready and will do everything lawful to ensure that their votes count in 2027, and they will count,” she added.
