According to the pundits, unlike their rivals in the APC (Tinubu) and the PDP (Atiku), Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso have not been able to establish a nationwide political infrastructure.
A growing number of voters can now acquire information directly from the sources, eliminating the need for filters and middlemen, thanks to the proliferation of mobile internet. Markets are fallible because of knowledge asymmetry. The same thing happens in politics when there are flaws in the voting process.
However, the first election in the era of mobile internet will take place in 2023 in Nigeria. This election is the first national one to centre on the practicality of apps. I’m not saying that the political structures that have been in place for decades are irrelevant, but I am making the point that disintermediation (the elimination of middlemen) is occurring and that regular voters now have more information at their disposal than ever before to make decisions about candidates on their own.
Because of their position as gatekeepers of knowledge, the Ezes, Obas, Amanyanabos, and Emirs swayed many previous elections with their block voting strategy of zone defence and zone offence (as in football); for most villages, the village head decided which candidates to support.
That won’t occur in 2023 because they don’t have monopoly on candidate data. This creates a level playing field for candidates, as the Best Message will WIN regardless of how INEC acts.
Don’t listen to young people who say your candidate can’t win. The score is tied at the end of regulation, forcing sudden-death overtime when each candidate hopes to score the winning goal.
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