by Uchechukwu Okoroafor, Abuja
As Nigeria Moves Towards 2027, the greatest question is not who will win the election, but what kind of country will remain after the votes are counted.
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There is something deeply troubling about the direction Nigerian politics is taking as the nation gradually approaches the 2027 general elections.
Politics, by its very nature, is about competition for ideas, leadership and the opportunity to serve. It should be a contest where candidates present their visions, defend their records, explain their policies and persuade citizens why they deserve their mandate.
But when politics becomes a do-or-die affair, when opponents are treated as enemies rather than fellow citizens, when political campaigns become factories for lies, character assassination, ethnic manipulation and deliberate division, we must pause and ask a fundamental question: When the battle is finally over, who really wins—and who loses? The answer may be uncomfortable.
If political opponents destroy one another, they may both lose. If communities are divided because of political ambition, the communities lose. If political competition creates permanent hatred among brothers, neighbours and friends, society loses. And if citizens are manipulated into fighting themselves while politicians pursue their ambitions, democracy itself becomes the ultimate casualty.
Politics Should Not Become a War Against the People
One of the most disturbing developments in our political environment is the growing tendency among some members of the political class to spend more energy destroying their opponents than selling their own ideas. Instead of telling Nigerians what they intend to do differently, some politicians concentrate on telling Nigerians why their opponents are supposedly unfit, dangerous, corrupt, incompetent or unacceptable.
Criticism is an essential component of democracy. Leaders must be questioned. Records must be examined. Failures must be exposed. Accountability must never be compromised. But there is a clear difference between legitimate political criticism and deliberate destruction. When falsehood becomes a campaign strategy, when rumours are manufactured and deliberately circulated, when ethnic and religious sentiments are weaponised, and when personal attacks replace substantive debate, politics ceases to be a contest of ideas. It becomes a contest of bitterness. And bitterness has consequences.
The Dangerous Seeds We Are Sowing Today
Every political season eventually ends. The posters will come down. The campaign vehicles will disappear. The rallies will stop. The political speeches will fade. The results will be announced. But what happens to the relationships that were destroyed along the way? What happens when brothers who once sat together begin to see one another as enemies because they supported different candidates? What happens when communities become divided along political lines? What happens when political competition creates permanent suspicion between ethnic groups, religious communities, local governments and even families?
These are questions that Nigeria must confront before the temperature rises further. A politician may win an election, but if the process leaves behind a deeply divided society, can that victory truly be described as a victory? If You Destroy the People, Who Will You Govern?
This is perhaps the question every politician seeking power should ask himself or herself. If you destroy the people in the process of pursuing political power, who exactly will you govern when you eventually win?
The office a politician seeks is temporary. The people are permanent. The convoy is temporary. The people remain. The political appointment is temporary. The community remains. The election is temporary. Nigeria remains. Therefore, political ambition must never become more important than the survival, unity and prosperity of the people.
Nigeria is bigger than any political party. Nigeria is bigger than any individual politician. Nigeria is bigger than 2027. Let the People Choose
A healthy democracy must ultimately respect the intelligence and judgment of the people. Citizens may make choices that politicians disagree with. They may support candidates whom political elites consider unlikely to win. They may reject candidates backed by powerful interests. That is democracy.
The responsibility of politicians is to persuade, not impose. Present your manifesto. Explain your vision. Tell Nigerians how you will improve their lives. Tell them how you will address insecurity, unemployment, poverty, education, healthcare, infrastructure, inflation and economic hardship. Tell them how you intend to strengthen institutions and restore confidence in government. Then allow the people to decide.
The ballot should be stronger than political intimidation. The people’s choice should be stronger than elite arrangements. And democratic legitimacy should come from the consent of the governed—not from the ability of one political faction to manipulate, threaten or suppress another.
Nigerians Are No Longer Politically Blind
There is another reality that the political class must recognise. The Nigerian people are becoming increasingly aware. They may not have access to the corridors of power, but they feel the consequences of government every day.
They know what food costs in the market. They know what transportation costs. They know what it means when electricity fails. They know what insecurity feels like. They know what unemployment means. They know what it means to struggle to pay school fees, hospital bills and house rent. They know when government policies improve their lives—and they know when those policies make life harder.
In other words, the street has become a political classroom. Citizens are watching. They are listening. They are comparing promises with realities. They are comparing political speeches with lived experiences. The politician may control the microphone, but the citizen controls the ballot.
The Elite Must Look Beyond Personal Ambition
Nigeria’s political elite must therefore begin to think beyond the next election. Leadership is not merely about occupying an office. It is about preserving a society for those who come after us.
What kind of Nigeria are we handing to our children? A Nigeria where political opponents cannot coexist? A Nigeria where ethnicity determines who is acceptable? A Nigeria where elections create enemies instead of leaders? A Nigeria where political ambition is worth more than human life, peace and national unity? Or a Nigeria where political competition strengthens democracy, accountability and development?
That choice is before us. And Citizens Are Not Without Responsibility The responsibility does not belong to politicians alone. Citizens must also examine their role.
We cannot condemn politicians for spreading falsehood while forwarding every rumour that supports our preferred candidate. We cannot complain about ethnic politics while voting exclusively on ethnic sentiment. We cannot demand good leadership while celebrating corruption because the beneficiary belongs to our party, community, religion or political camp. We cannot condemn political thuggery while defending violence when it benefits our side.
Democracy requires citizens who are willing to hold their own side accountable. The question should not always be, “What has my candidate done wrong?” Sometimes, the more important question is: “What would I say if the same thing were done by the person I oppose?” That is where political maturity begins.
2027 Should Be a Contest of Ideas
As the 2027 elections draw closer, Nigeria needs a different political conversation.
Let candidates debate their records. Let them present measurable programmes. Let them explain how they will finance their promises. Let them tell Nigerians how they will create jobs. Let them explain their security strategies. Let them discuss education, healthcare, agriculture, technology, infrastructure and economic reforms. Let journalists ask difficult questions. Let citizens demand evidence. Let political parties compete vigorously. But let the competition remain civilised, issue-based and democratic.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to win. There is everything wrong with believing that winning justifies destroying the country. The Real Winner Must Be Nigeria
At the end of the 2027 election, one candidate will win and another will lose. But that should only be the political outcome. The national outcome should be different.
Nigeria must win. Our communities must win. Our children must win. Our democracy must win. Our economy must win. Our institutions must win. Our unity must win. And the Nigerian people must remain standing after the political battle is over. Because ultimately, political power is meaningless if the country it is meant to serve is weakened by the struggle to acquire it.
The political class must therefore remember one simple truth: You cannot build a prosperous nation by destroying the people you seek to lead. And citizens must remember another: The politician you support today may be in opposition tomorrow, while the Nigeria we all share will remain our common home.
Therefore, let 2027 not become another chapter in Nigeria’s history of political bitterness. Let it become a turning point. Let us disagree without becoming enemies. Let us compete without destroying one another. Let us criticise without manufacturing lies. Let us campaign without sowing hatred. Let us choose without being manipulated. And above all, let us remember that political power is temporary, but the consequences of our actions can outlive our political ambitions.
The real question before Nigeria is therefore not simply: “Who will win in 2027?” The bigger question is: “What kind of Nigeria will we leave behind when the election is over?” That is a question every politician, every political elite and every Nigerian citizen must answer.
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