By Obike Ukoh
There is great drift in Nigeria’s political campaigns from what it used to be yester-years. In the days of the National Convention of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), led by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Action Group (AG), led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, among others, campaigns were vigorous, rigorous and issue-based.
It was even so in the Second Republic, when Alhaji Shehu Shagari, among others came on stage. They did not solicit for endorsements by critical stakeholders, they campaigned for votes.
They traversed the length and breadth of the country, soliciting for votes. Undoubtedly, they visited major towns in the country to interface with the people while seeking for their votes.
The crowds that thronged the campaign venues, were organic and not paid to come and listen to the aspirants.
Today, the situation is entirely different, especially for presidential candidates. The practice for some political parties is just to select a state in the geo-political zones, and transport party supporters to listen to the aspirants.
In addition, appointees are frontally informed to deliver their constituencies, as if the power to do that reside with them.
Many stakeholders and analysts that spoke on the issue, noted that Nigerian political campaigns have lost ideological content, with money, prebendalism, violence and impunity dominating contemporary politics.
They urged political actors seeking elective political positions to engage voters through robust political campaigns.
They called on politicians to return to the era when political actors take political campaigns down to grassroots and major political hubs of the country.
Dr John Otu, former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in Ebonyi State said that political campaigns have lost ideological content, with money, prebendalism, violence and impunity dominating contemporary politics.
Otu, also a lecturer at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), said that unlike the era of nationalist politicians such as Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and later Chief MKO Abiola, contemporary politicians appeared less inclined to engage voters through extensive campaigns centred on ideology and policy.
Otu said presidential campaigns had increasingly become exercises in political mobilisation driven by money and patronage rather than persuasion through ideas.
“Things that mattered in democratic politics seem to be in abeyance in contemporary Nigerian society.
“Politicians today no longer play ideological or intellectual politics but prebendal politics or politics that’s pejoratively described as one of stomach infrastructure,” Otu said.
According to him, the decline has also affected the quality of political leadership and public confidence in democratic institutions.
“Sadly, those at the helms seem to disdain the hitherto cherished values of integrity, honesty, competence and compassion.
“It’s now a zero-sum game: it’s now a battle of who is more corrupt than the other, with glaring displays of violence and impunity,” he said.
Otu said that the transformation of campaigns into expensive political contests had made it increasingly difficult for candidates with limited financial resources but strong ideas and competence to compete effectively.
He said that the development could weaken democracy if voters became more interested in immediate financial benefits than the long-term consequences of electing leaders.
The former commissioner urged political parties to return to issue-based campaigns and compel presidential candidates to present clear programmes on the economy; security, education, healthcare, employment and other national challenges.
He also called on voters, the media, civil society organisations and academic institutions to demand greater accountability from politicians.
The University don said that Nigerian democracy would become stronger when elections were determined by ideas, competence, integrity and the ability of candidates to deliver democratic dividends rather than money and political intimidation.
Also speaking, Mr Joseph Onwe, a socio-political commentator, explained that gratification and party affiliation had significantly influenced voters’ choices.
Onwe argued that voters should be encouraged to choose candidates on the basis of party manifestoes, policies and programmes rather than gratification.
He noted that presidential campaigns as well as campaign for other political offices no longer gather the usual steam that characterised post independence electioneering campaigns.
“Unlike the era of Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Ahmadu Below when political campaigns were issue-based and leaders reach out to voters to solicit support, it is sadly not so again under the current dispensation,” Onwe said.
Prof. Eugene Nweke, a former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) Ebonyi State University (EBSU), observed that candidate credibility, integrity and competence were increasingly influencing voters’ decisions ahead of the 2027 elections.
He suggested a gradual shift from blind party loyalty, while urging politicians to engage the electorate on robust issue-based campaigns.
A political scientist, Dr Ifeanyi Ibekwe Kazi, noted that the political campaigns strategy changed as a result of exigencies of the time.
He said that insecurity has genuinely changed the geography of campaigning, as a presidential candidate now has to consider: “security escorts; route security; crowd control; kidnapping and other criminal threats; attacks by political opponents disruption of rallies; the safety of party supporters travelling to rallies,’’ among others.
Kazi said that vote-buying may certainly not be responsible for the current development,“ because vote-buying does not necessarily eliminate campaigning. It changes what the campaign is trying to accomplish.’’
He also said that the emergence of political intermediaries, like campaign Councils and other layers of political structures from national party structure, state structure, senatorial structure, local government structure, among others, would necessarily eliminate physical travelling by aspirants.
Kazi also said that in this era of television and social media, “ a candidate can now address millions of Nigerians without physically travelling to them.
“One speech can be distributed through: television; radio; Facebook;X; YouTube; TikTok; WhatsApp; online news; campaign videos; and livestreams.’’
He also listed increased tremendous increases in campaign costs, as being responsible for decreased physical contacts with the electorate.
A stakeholder, Mr Godfrey Chukwukelu, in his contribution, also said that the social media and television, greatly reduced physical travelling and contacts for electioneering.
He said that before, physical rallies were the only way to reach the electorate, “but today social media and advancements in technology allow a wider reach to targeted voters/electorate without extensive physical travel.
“Thus, candidates and campaign managers can now disseminate information to voters through online platforms and digital advertisements on social media,’’ Chukwukelu stated.
He also listed security concerns, as one of the reasons for the less emphasis on physical campaigns in Nigeria’s contemporary politics.
He cited the recent experience of Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of NDC in Benue State, where thugs blocked him from going to his destination, stressing that traveling to many towns might pose security risk for candidates and their entourage.
However, analysts, stakeholders and commentators, say despite the improvements in communications and emergence of social media, politicians, especially presidential candidates must move round the country to see things for themselves.
They say whoever wants to be president of Nigeria in 2027 should travel round to see the condition of the people he wants to govern, the condition of the schools, hospitals, roads among others.
“It is not proper to sit in Abuja without knowing the problems of Nigerians you want their votes,’’ they stressed.
All in all, the situation in Nigeria now, demands that high political office seekers physically move round their constituencies, to see things for themselves.
Under the presidential system, it is the office holder that it held responsible for his/her actions and inactions and not the party or campaign councils.
Obike Ukoh, former Deputy Editor-In-Chief, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
