Political campaigns vs governance: Which is more important?

BY AJIBOYE AMOS OLAKUNLE

In a nation where poverty gnaws at the fabric of society, where insecurity turns homes into war zones, and where the average citizen struggles to afford a single meal a day, one would expect the government to be in a state of emergency, working tirelessly to alleviate suffering. But in Nigeria, under the Tinubu administration, there seems to be a different priority: endless political campaigns.

The question then arises: Which is more important, campaigning to win more supporters or actually doing the job you were elected to do?

The never-ending campaign syndrome

Since assuming office, President Bola Tinubu and his team have invested significant time, resources, and energy into winning over new supporters, consolidating political alliances, and strategising for future elections. Meanwhile, the promises made during the 2023 campaign, economic revival, security, job creation, and poverty reduction remain largely unfulfilled.

Instead of governance, what we see is a government more obsessed with optics than action, more concerned with expanding its political base than fixing the crumbling nation. The irony? The very poverty and hardship that the government should be eradicating are now being weaponised, used as tools to manipulate a desperate populace into blind loyalty.

Poverty as a political weapon

A hungry man is an angry man, but a starving man can be a cheap supporter. When people are pushed to the brink, when their children cry from hunger, when unemployment leaves them hopeless, they become vulnerable to political manipulation. A bag of rice, a few thousand naira, or empty promises of “better days ahead” can buy their allegiance at least until the next election.

This is not governance; it is exploitation. A government that thrives on the suffering of its people rather than alleviating it is a government that has lost its moral compass.

Governance should come first

The primary duty of any elected official is to serve the people, not to use them as stepping stones for future political gains. Campaigns are meant to end after elections, giving way to the real work of governance. But when leaders prioritise political survival over national survival, the people suffer.

• Where are the concrete plans to tackle inflation?
• Where is the decisive action against bandits and terrorists?
• Where are the sustainable poverty alleviation programs?

Instead of answers, we get more rallies, more media propaganda, and more political manoeuvring.

A call for revolutionary consciousness

The Nigerian people must wake up and demand accountability. Support should not be bought with misery; loyalty should be earned through performance. If a government cannot provide security, stabilise the economy, or reduce suffering, then no amount of campaigning should excuse its failures.

We must reject the notion that politics is about power retention rather than service delivery. True leaders are remembered for their deeds, not their slogans.

Governance over politics

The Tinubu administration must shift focus from perpetual campaigns to tangible governance. The Nigerian people do not need more political rallies; they need food, security, jobs, and hope.

A government that spends more time campaigning than working is a government that has forgotten why it exists. The time for excuses is over. The time for action is now.

It only takes a failure to continually convince people to believe in them, every success doesn’t need explanation, it speaks for itself. This government must stop cajoling people in the name of a campaign, moreover, there’s nothing to even campaign about.