The declaration of Governor Ademola Adeleke as winner of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State has rekindled confidence in the power of the ballot, with the Allied People’s Movement (APM) predicting defeat for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the victory as an “advance payment” against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with the balance to come in 2027. Adeleke secured 511,067 votes across 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, in an election that suggested that, despite the growing influence of money, political structures, intimidation and other forces capable of distorting electoral contests, voters can still determine who governs them when sufficiently mobilised and resolute. The APM, in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Abubakar, described the outcome as a sign of growing discontent with the ruling All Progressives Congress and a foretaste of...