The era of political impostors, manufactured candidates and intellectually bankrupt campaigns must end.
An Oblong Media Commentary
Something deeply troubling is already unfolding as Nigeria approaches another election cycle.
Look carefully at some of the men and women presenting themselves to us as aspiring governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly.
Then ask yourself one simple question:
What exactly are these people offering?
Not their posters.
Not their party logos.
Not their photographs with political godfathers.
Not their carefully manufactured social media profiles.
Not the AI generated memes declaring them “the people’s choice,” “capacity personified,” “the incoming,” “a visionary leader” or whatever meaningless slogan their media teams have invented this week.
What do they actually know?
What do they understand about government?
What are their ideas?
What have they accomplished?
What problems have they identified?
And, most importantly, what exactly are they proposing to do about them?
These are questions Nigerians must begin asking very loudly.
WE ARE ELECTING GOVERNMENTS, NOT SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS.
The intellectual poverty of some of the campaigns emerging around us is frightening.
Every morning, their social media aides manufacture another poster.
“Capacity.”
“Competence.”
“Vision.”
“Hope.”
“Transformation.”
“Leadership.”
Wonderful words.
But remove the photographs, graphics, slogans and AI generated prose and ask the candidates to sit before a microphone for two hours without assistance.
What remains?
Can they explain the economy of the constituency they want to represent?
Can most aspiring governors explain how they intend to grow internally generated revenue without suffocating businesses?
Can they discuss education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, industrialisation, security, local government administration and public finance?
Can most aspiring senators explain the difference between legislation, representation and executive responsibility?
Can some of them seeking election to the House of Representatives explain the federal budget?
Do some aspiring state legislators understand how laws are made?
Did some of those seeking election and re-election attend a secondary school?
What bills do they intend to sponsor?
What existing laws does they believe should be amended?
What are their positions on constitutional reform?
How do they intend to attract development to their constituencies if elected?
These should not be difficult questions for anyone asking us to entrust him with public power.
Yet I suspect that if we removed the media aides, prepared speeches, teleprompters, AI generated posts and political praise singers from some of these aspirants, Nigerians would be shocked by what is left.
WHOSE THOUGHTS ARE WE ACTUALLY READING?
There is another disturbing development.
Some candidates apparently no longer even communicate their own thoughts.
Everything is written for them.
Statements are written for them.
Policy positions are written for them.
Birthday messages are written for them.
Condolence messages are written for them.
Political reactions are written for them.
Even their supposed personal reflections appear to emerge from social media teams.
So whose candidate are we evaluating?
The aspirant or his media aide?
If everything published under the name of a man seeking to govern millions of people represents the thinking of somebody else, how are voters supposed to determine the intellectual capacity of the candidate himself?
This is precisely why social media cannot be the principal examination hall for political leadership.
A clever media team can manufacture an intellectual.
Artificial intelligence can polish bad English.
A graphic designer can manufacture popularity.
Political influencers can create artificial momentum.
Paid commentators can manufacture consensus.
But none of these things can manufacture competence.
Eventually the candidate must stand alone.
And Nigerians deserve to see what is actually inside his head.
LET THEM DEBATE
This is why Oblong Media Global believes the political conversation must now move to another level.
Let there be debates.
Serious debates.
Public debates.
Unscripted debates.
Not rallies where supporters scream themselves hoarse.
Not friendly interviews where candidates are handed questions beforehand.
Not choreographed television appearances surrounded by political handlers.
We need properly organised debates conducted in conjunction with recognised and credible media organisations, professional bodies, civil society organisations, universities and other independent institutions.
Put the candidates on the same stage.
Give them the same questions.
Give them equal time.
Ask follow up questions.
Interrogate their figures.
Challenge their assumptions.
Ask them to defend their records.
Ask them to explain their policies.
Ask them where the money will come from.
Ask them what they will accomplish in their first 100 days.
Ask them what they will accomplish in four years.
Then allow the public to judge.
That is how we begin separating the wheat from the chaff.
That is how we separate serious candidates from clowns.
THE POLITICAL CLASS MUST NO LONGER SET ITS OWN EXAMINATION
For too long, Nigerian politicians have largely determined the criteria by which Nigerians assess them.
They arrive with money.
They distribute food.
They print posters.
They hire crowds.
They acquire traditional titles.
They recruit social media warriors.
They pay influencers.
They secure endorsements.
And suddenly we are told that somebody is “popular.”
Popular for what?
What has popularity got to do with the ability to manage a government?
The job of governor is an enormous executive responsibility.
A governor may be responsible for budgets running into hundreds of billions or even trillions of naira over a term.
A senator participates in making laws affecting more than 200 million Nigerians and scrutinising enormous federal expenditures.
Representatives and state legislators exercise legislative and oversight responsibilities that directly affect the lives of millions.
These are not jobs for bankrupt political impostors apprentices who happen to know the right godfather.
They are not poverty alleviation programmes for struggling politicians.
And they are certainly not rewards for loyalty to governors, ministers, presidents or party leaders.
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
Before anybody receives our vote in 2027, we should know considerably more about them.
What did you do before politics?
What enterprise have you successfully managed?
How many people have you employed?
What institution have you built?
What public responsibility have you previously held?
What was your record?
What is your understanding of the office you are seeking?
What are your measurable proposals?
What is your economic philosophy?
What are your views on education?
Healthcare?
Infrastructure?
Security?
Job creation?
Industrial development?
Technology?
Agriculture?
Local government?
Public accountability?
And where relevant, what is your legislative agenda?
These questions matter because political office is not an apprenticeship programme.
We cannot continue handing enormous public institutions to people whose only demonstrated competence is winning party tickets.
FROM PAUPER TO BILLIONAIRE THROUGH PUBLIC OFFICE
There is an even uglier dimension to Nigerian politics that citizens must confront.
Politics has become one of the fastest routes to wealth and getting made using us nigerians as stepping stones .
People enter public office with modest means and emerge astonishingly wealthy and made.
Suddenly there are mansions.
Machines.
Convoys.
Properties abroad.
Children educated abroad.
Businesses whose sources of capital nobody can explain.
And an army of dependants permanently attached to the political feeding chain.
Meanwhile the communities these politicians supposedly represent remain desperately poor.
No roads.
No water.
Poor schools.
Inadequate hospitals.
Youth unemployment.
Collapsed industries.
And another election approaches.
Never again should Nigerians knowingly make billionaires out of bankrupt political impostors targeting our common patrimony.
Public office is not a wealth creation scheme for politicians.
Our commonwealth does not belong to governors, senators, legislators or their political patrons.
It belongs to the people.
A PARTY TICKET IS NOT A CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCE
There are allegations and suspicions around every election that some aspirants barely have the resources or organisational structures to conduct serious campaigns but nevertheless expect that the machinery of their political parties will somehow rig them into office.
But the mentality itself must be rejected.
Nobody should expect to become governor, senator, representative or assembly member simply because he belongs to the dominant political party.
Nobody should assume this cycle that somebody somewhere will “deliver” the election.
The people must make sure they decide.
And where anybody attempts to substitute manipulation for the will of the electorate, citizens must lawfully stoutly and strongly defend their votes.
TAKE THE MONEY. VOTE FOR YOUR FUTURE.
The tragedy is that politicians understand poverty.
Some exploit it brilliantly.
They arrive during elections with rice, cash, wrappers and temporary generosity.
After elections, they disappear behind tinted windows and security convoys.
The people then spend another four years complaining.
This cycle must end.
If politicians offer you what was probably extracted from the same political economy that impoverished you, that transaction must not purchase your conscience.
Your vote is worth considerably more than a bag of rice.
Vote for your progress.
Vote for your children’s education.
Vote for smart schools.
Vote for healthcare.
Vote for roads.
Vote for jobs.
Vote for economic opportunity.
Vote for competent representation.
Vote for the candidate with the strongest ideas and capacity irrespective of political party.
2027 MUST BECOME AN EXAMINATION
The coming election should not simply be another contest between political parties.
It should become an examination.
An examination of character.
An examination of competence.
An examination of knowledge.
An examination of previous performance.
An examination of ideas.
An examination of integrity.
An examination of the ability to think independently.
Let every candidate come before the people.
No media aide whispering answers.
No social media rat fighting critics.
No AI generated essay masquerading as intellectual depth.
No godfather speaking on the candidate’s behalf.
Just the candidate, his record, his brain and his ideas.
Then we will discover very quickly who is prepared for leadership and who merely wants a title.
WE MUST RAISE THE BAR
Nigeria cannot continue complaining about bad government while setting an embarrassingly low entrance examination for those seeking to govern us.
The quality of government we receive tomorrow will largely reflect the quality of candidates we tolerate today.
If we elect mediocrity, we should expect mediocre government.
If we elect political dependants, we should expect government beholden to their sponsors.
If we elect people without ideas, we should expect government without direction.
If we elect people primarily interested in personal enrichment and power, we should not be surprised when public resources become private fortunes.
But if citizens insist on competence, ideas, character, independence and measurable programmes, political parties will eventually be forced to produce better candidates.
That change begins with us.
Demand the debates.
Demand the manifestos.
Demand the numbers.
Demand the records.
Demand the ideas.
Demand that candidates speak for themselves.
And when election day comes, reject the impostors at the ballot box.
Nigeria has experimented with mediocrity for far too long.
We know the result.
This time, before we give them power, let them prove they can think.
Duruebube Uzii na Abosi
Hon. Chima Nnadi-Oforgu
For
Oblong Media Global Intelligence
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