To Arewa’s political leaders: Make your candidates deliver

Across Nigeria today, especially in the North, one thing has become very clear. Political parties may differ in slogans, colours, and public relations strategy, but when it comes to internal politics, many still behave in almost exactly the same way. Over the past weeks, primary elections have been conducted across several political parties ahead of […]

Across Nigeria today, especially in the North, one thing has become very clear. Political parties may differ in slogans, colours, and public relations strategy, but when it comes to internal politics, many still behave in almost exactly the same way.

Over the past weeks, primary elections have been conducted across several political parties ahead of the next electoral cycle. Expectedly, accusations followed almost immediately. Some aspirants alleged imposition. Others complained of manipulation, inconsistency, and selective fairness. What is particularly interesting is that these accusations did not come from only one political party. Even parties that positioned themselves as alternatives to “business as usual” have also faced similar complaints from their own members.

At this point, it is becoming difficult for many Nigerians to see any meaningful difference in the political culture across parties. The names may change, but the methods often remain familiar. Still, perhaps the most important thing now is not to remain trapped in endless arguments about who was cheated and who was favoured. In many cases, the primaries are already over. The candidates have emerged. The tickets have been secured. Whether through popularity, negotiations, influence, loyalty, strategy, or political calculations, flag bearers have now been produced across different constituencies and offices.

The real question now is whether these people can actually govern and whether those who influenced their emergence are willing to demand results from them when power eventually comes.

This is an appeal particularly to political leaders across Arewa who played direct or indirect roles in shaping the outcome of these primaries. Governors, party elders, influential stakeholders, political mentors, and power brokers all know the candidates they pushed for, defended, negotiated for, or quietly supported behind closed doors. Politics naturally comes with alliances and loyalty. Nobody should pretend otherwise. Every leader wants trusted people around them. However, Northern Nigeria can no longer afford the dangerous habit of separating loyalty from competence.

There is nothing wrong with loyalty. In fact, loyalty matters in politics because trust matters too. However, when loyalty becomes the only qualification for leadership, entire communities eventually suffer the consequences. A loyal incompetent person does not fail alone. The people fail with him. Schools fail with him. Hospitals fail with him. Local economies fail with him. Young people searching for opportunities pay the price for that failure.

This is why the burden on those who influenced these primaries is now even heavier. If certain candidates were promoted as preferred choices, then those who promoted them must also insist on performance. They cannot fight aggressively to install loyalists during primaries and then disappear once governance begins. The North is dealing with too many serious problems to continue treating leadership like a political reward system. Millions of young people are unemployed. Insecurity continues to affect communities. Drug abuse is destroying families. Many public schools are in terrible condition. Healthcare systems remain weak in many places. Farmers are struggling. Inflation keeps stretching ordinary households beyond their limits.

This is not the time for political experiments disguised as loyalty.

The truth is that many citizens are gradually losing faith in politics itself. Every election season comes with promises, emotional speeches, and declarations about rescuing the people. Yet after elections, governance often becomes disconnected from the everyday realities of citizens. Defending failure has become a culture. Once politicians belong to the same ethnic group, religion, region, or political camp, many supporters suddenly become unwilling to hold them accountable.

That mindset must change because politics should not be about blind loyalty to individuals. It should be about measurable service to the people. The next phase of political engagement should not be about defending candidates blindly. It should be about demanding seriousness from them before elections even take place. Every candidate who emerged from these primaries should be compelled by citizens, civil society groups, traditional leaders, religious leaders, youth organisations, and the media to publicly present clear plans for governance.

Not vague promises. Not emotional speeches. Not recycled campaign poetry. Actual plans with measurable targets and timelines.

In fact, I strongly believe every state government should formally demand this from all flag bearers across political parties. Before campaigns fully begin, candidates seeking public office should be required to publicly submit a detailed roadmap for the next four years. Whether it is called a manifesto, development blueprint, policy roadmap, or strategic governance plan does not matter. What matters is that citizens must know exactly what these candidates intend to do with power before asking people for votes.

Governors and political leaders who influenced these outcomes should champion this process openly. Let every candidate submit their plans publicly. Let citizens see them. Let the media analyse them. Let experts question them. Let young people debate them. Let there be records that can be revisited after elections. Politics should no longer operate like a vague emotional contract where candidates simply promise “development” without explaining what that development actually means.

What exactly is their agenda for education? How do they intend to improve healthcare? What is their strategy for agriculture and food security? How will they address insecurity? What specific policies do they have for youth employment and entrepreneurship? How do they intend to improve infrastructure? What measurable targets are they setting for themselves over the next four years?

These are the conversations Nigerians should now be having.

Unfortunately, politics in Nigeria is still heavily dominated by personalities rather than ideas. People often campaign more based on loyalty networks than competence. This has damaged governance significantly over the years. Sometimes even educated citizens knowingly defend weak leadership simply because their preferred political camp produced the candidate. Poverty does not care about party affiliation. Insecurity does not ask which political party someone supports before attacking a community. Unemployment does not spare young people because their preferred candidate won an election. Failure affects everybody eventually.

This is why political leaders across Arewa must understand that the North cannot continue recycling weak leadership under the excuse of political loyalty. If they insisted on producing certain candidates during the primaries, then they must also insist that those candidates perform if elected. They must push them to surround themselves with competent advisers, capable technocrats, and people who actually understand governance beyond political slogans.

The era where elections are treated merely as political victories must end because winning elections means nothing if governance itself remains empty. Citizens also have responsibilities in all of this. Nigerians must stop reducing politics to permanent emotional warfare. Supporting a candidate should not mean surrendering the right to question them. Democracy only works when voters remain engaged even after elections. Accountability should not be seen as betrayal.

The North especially has reached a point where emotions alone cannot solve its problems. Sentiments cannot replace policy. Loyalty cannot replace competence. Political branding cannot replace results. Another election cycle will eventually come and go. If the next set of leaders fail to deliver meaningful progress, the damage may extend beyond poor governance alone. Public frustration is already growing. Trust in institutions is weakening. Many young people increasingly feel disconnected from both politics and leadership.

The primaries may be over, but the real test is only beginning. Those who influenced the emergence of candidates across political parties now carry a moral responsibility to ensure that the people eventually get results, not excuses. Northern Nigeria has lost too much time already, and we simply cannot afford another wasted cycle.