From Candidate to CEO: The Unconventional Path to Leadership
In the lead-up to Nigeria's 2027 general elections, a critical question is being asked: are Nigerians choosing leaders who can effectively govern the country, or those who have mastered the art of winning elections?
The Skills of Winning vs. The Skills of Governing
The distinction between running for office and running the office is fundamental. While running for office requires political machinery, money, networks, visibility, messaging, party structures, coalition-building, and an ability to mobilise voters, running the office demands judgement, competence, discipline, integrity, policy knowledge, the ability to build teams, manage institutions, make difficult choices, and accept responsibility for consequences.
Nigerians have often discovered this distinction too late, after elections have been won and governments have been formed. The skills that get a candidate elected are not necessarily the skills that enable a leader to govern effectively.
A Culture of Campaigning Over Competence
Nigeria's political culture has become sophisticated at evaluating campaigns but surprisingly weak at interrogating governing capacity. We frequently ask whether a candidate can win, but devote far less attention to whether that candidate can govern. We debate where candidates come from, the size of their political structures, their endorsements, religion, ethnicity, zoning, and electoral arithmetic. These considerations may matter politically, but none guarantees competence in office.
A candidate can understand the mathematics of winning elections and still have little understanding of economics, public administration, national security, or institutional reform. A politician may know how to assemble a winning coalition without knowing how to assemble a competent cabinet.
The Stakes of 2027
Nigeria cannot afford another apprenticeship in government. The country faces profound economic pressures, insecurity, unemployment, and underemployment, institutional fragility, declining public trust, and growing frustration among young people. The stakes in 2027 will be unusually high, and the country operates in an increasingly uncertain international environment in which geopolitics, technology, climate pressures, and changing global economic relationships demand sophisticated leadership.
A Call for Competence
Nigerians should therefore examine not only the ability of candidates to secure power but also their preparedness to exercise it responsibly. Voters should become considerably more demanding and require every serious candidate to demonstrate what they have managed before and what became better as a result.
Where candidates have previously held public office, Nigerians should examine their records rather than the mythology surrounding them. Voters should consider what happened to public finances, whether institutions were strengthened, whether services improved, whether competent people were appointed, how criticism was handled, and whether public resources were treated as genuinely public.
The People Around the Candidate Matter
Nigerians should also pay closer attention to the people surrounding those who seek power. No president or governor governs alone. The quality of leadership is often revealed before an election by the quality of people a candidate attracts, trusts, and listens to.
A politician surrounded exclusively by praise singers should concern voters. A candidate unable to tolerate disagreement before acquiring power is unlikely to suddenly embrace dissent after acquiring it. The advisers, political associates, and individuals entrusted with responsibility during a campaign can provide an early indication of the governing culture that may follow.
Manifestos as Governing Documents
Nigeria must also rethink the role of manifestos. Too often, manifestos are treated as campaign accessories, launched ceremonially, quoted selectively, and quietly forgotten after elections. In 2027, voters, journalists, universities, professional associations, and civil society should interrogate manifestos as prospective governing contracts.
Promises to create jobs should explain which sectors will generate them. Security proposals should identify what will change. Poverty reduction commitments should indicate the policies, resources, and realistic timelines involved. Proposals for restructuring or institutional reform should explain how they will be implemented and what benefits they will bring to the country.
As the 2027 elections approach, Nigerians should become considerably more demanding. Every serious candidate should be required to demonstrate what they have managed before and what became better as a result. The country cannot afford another apprenticeship in government, and it is time for Nigerians to choose leaders who can effectively govern the country.
Source: Joy Online
