Every election cycle produces a new crop of governing elite who exercise control over our common patrimony.
It’s common knowledge that the President, governors, legislators and other elected officials who emerge as new leaders from the electoral process often spend huge amounts of money to become the new controllers of public resources by virtue of their status as the chief financial officers of their respective offices.
Political office contenders invest enormous sums in buying party nomination forms and go on to run very expensive campaigns, estimated at between N100 million and N40 billion, depending on the office being sought. When eligibility to run for public office is determined primarily by financial clout, the integrity of the process is bound to be compromised.
Power, when obtained through an auctioneering system rather than a genuine electioneering process, inevitably falls into the hands of the highest bidder rather than the most competent or qualified candidate. The winners of elections become soldiers of fortune, whose first objective upon assuming office is to recoup their investments—often through any means possible. This explains why almost everyone who has left power since the start of the current dispensation has had numerous corruption cases trailing them. The governing elites are corrupt because they emerge from a fundamentally flawed political party and electioneering system that makes access to power excessively expensive.
When a political officeholder’s priority is recovering their investment rather than serving the people, development inevitably suffers. This is the root cause of the persistent dysfunction we experience in Nigeria.
Unless the political class takes a holistic look at the presidential system and reforms it to make access to power cheaper, easier, and more inclusive, our development efforts will continue to be stunted. A system that reserves political office for the wealthy is unjust, inefficient, and oppressive. It is unsustainable and will never guarantee meaningful development.
For this reason, the presidential system we currently operate must either be thoroughly reformed or abandoned altogether in favor of a new system that reflects our culture and the peculiarities of our multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. Any new system must eliminate the crises associated with the presidential model, such as the exorbitant cost of electioneering, the challenges of obtaining party nomination forms, undue harassment by the opposition, godfatherism, ethnic and religious biases, and leadership succession conflicts.
These, in my view, are the core issues plaguing our polity. They are the reasons Nigeria remains stagnant despite its enormous resources and abundant human capital. This conundrum has fueled widespread frustration among the youth, leading to increased criminality, violence, kidnappings for ransom, and terrorism.
Moreover, losing candidates in each election cycle often feel shortchanged by the system, leading to prolonged post-election litigations and agitations that distract newly elected officials from governance. This frustration was evident in the recent gathering of top politicians in Abuja, where speakers launched blistering attacks on the Tinubu administration. Notably, all attendees of that conference had one thing in common: they are not part of the federal government and, therefore, have no access to the spoils of office. As a result, they share a common goal—finding ways to wrest power from the APC-led federal government in 2027.
The emergence of regional political pressure groups such as Afenifere (Yoruba nation), Ohanaeze (Biafra agitations), Arewa, and the Middle Belt Forum is a direct response to the failure of the current political structure to foster inclusive participation. This clearly underscores the urgent need for holistic political reform and restructuring. However, this cannot be achieved through piecemeal constitutional amendments or national conferences, as many people believe.
• Ayodeji is a counselor, speaker, author and pastor. He can be reached via 09059243004 (WhatsApp only)