By Uzu Okagbue
As the campaigns begin, the most interesting question about 2027 is not who will win. It is whether Nigeria’s political class has finally understood what Nigerians are actually voting for.
The ruling party should not mistake political strength for public satisfaction. A government can control the machinery of power and still lose the argument about the direction of the country.
But the opposition should be equally careful not to mistake public frustration for an electoral mandate. Nigerians may be unhappy with government without being convinced that the alternative is better.
That is the real contest in 2027.
The APC must defend a record.
The opposition must present a credible alternative.
Neither can win sustainably by simply making the other look bad.
There is a deeper lesson from 2015 and 2023: Nigeria’s elections are often decided not only by the strength of a candidate, but by the weaknesses of the alternatives.
That should worry everyone.
Because *a democracy becomes healthier when people vote for something, not merely against someone*.
2027 should therefore not merely answer “Who becomes President?”
It should answer a more important question:
“*Who has the clearest understanding of the Nigeria we have, and the Nigeria we can realistically build?*”
That is the election worth having.
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