Election seasons in Nigeria always fascinate me. Not because of the rallies, the posters or the endless promises that suddenly appear like mushrooms after rainfall. What fascinates me is how everyone suddenly becomes an expert on who the “right candidate” is.
It's election season again and I found myself discussing this with my colleagues after work. Campaign vehicles had been driving around all day, blasting songs and promises through loudspeakers. Everywhere you turned, politicians were reminding us that our votes mattered.
The conversation was around who we believed was the best candidate for the presidency. The right choice, the person that will be the best fit for Nigeria. To me it felt like the answer was written bold enough for everyone to see. I almost insulted them and yelled "it's this person now" it sounded reasonable but then I thought deeper.
If a doctor knows a particular medicine will save a patient, why not recommend it openly? If a teacher knows the correct answer in an examination, why not tell the students?
Yet democracy is different.
The moment someone begins deciding for everyone else, democracy starts losing its meaning. That does not mean all candidates are equal, however. Far from it.
In our country, we have seen leaders who left public institutions in ruins. We have witnessed corruption become so normalized that many people no longer react to it. We have watched insecurity spread while officials traded blame. We have endured years of economic hardship while those in power appeared insulated from the suffering around them.
Sometimes the wrong choice can seem painfully obvious. Even so, ordering people who to vote for creates another problem. It replaces independent thinking with "OBIdience". Instead of citizens evaluating candidates, they simply wait for instructions. And that is dangerous.
The bigger tragedy, in my opinion, is not that people are not told who to vote for. The tragedy is that many people already know what good leadership should look like but choose differently for reasons that have nothing to do with competence.
Nigeria remains deeply divided by tribe and religion. I have heard people say they would never vote for a candidate simply because he comes from another ethnic group. Others openly reject candidates because they belong to a different faith.
Once those sentiments enter the conversation, discussions about character, integrity, vision, and competence quickly disappear. The election becomes less about who can govern effectively and more about who belongs to "our people."
Then there is poverty. Perhaps the most painful weapon in Nigerian politics. I have seen reports of people collecting five thousand naira, bags of rice, semo and other food items in exchange for votes. I do not even blame the hungry mother who has not been sure where the next meal will come from. Hunger can make tomorrow seem less important than today.
What saddens me is how many people fail to realize that the ₦5,000 disappears within days while the consequences of that vote remain for four years.
The roads remain broken. The hospitals remain understaffed. The schools remain underfunded. The unemployment remains.
Yet another election arrives and the cycle begins again. Personally, I have always admired leaders who emphasize accountability, prudent management of public resources and measurable results.
Those qualities are among the reasons many Nigerians were drawn to Peter OBI and his message of governance focused on production, transparency and responsibility. Whether one agrees with him or not, the enthusiasm he inspired showed that many citizens are hungry for a different style of leadership.
So should people simply be told who to vote for? Absolutely Not. It's not like if you told them they'd do it anyways. I think Citizens should remain free to choose. Democracy depends on that freedom.
What we should do instead is encourage people to examine records, policies, competence, integrity, and vision rather than tribe, religion, or immediate personal gain.
The goal is not to tell people what to think. The goal is to help them think and that's because the day democracy becomes an exercise in following instructions rather than making informed choices is the day we stop electing leaders and start selecting rulers.
I still wish I could just hypnotize the entire Nigeria to vote for Peter Obi let's even see what he will do but sadly I'm not a magician.
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