2023 polls and fall of the mighty

Politics in Nigeria has over the years become more of a family or kinsmen affair. Only on few occasions have we seen a new individual without a godfather’s influence emerging as a successful candidate.

The happenings in the just concluded elections make a lot of us understand that things are changing and the new Nigeria most citizens want and hope for is possible since the son of a-nobody has hope of becoming somebody.

It is more like a norm for outgoing governors in Nigeria to retire to the senate, but the table has turned and the game changed this season as many outgoing governors lost their elections to become senators.

Some of them did not only lose going to the senate, they also lost in having their stooges to succeed them in their states. These governors include Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state, among others. Not only that, an incumbent governor also lost to an opposition party in Sokoto state.

The emergence of new faces in the National Assembly, especially the youths, will show that Nigerians are not out for jokes and it is not business as usual for known names and faces in politics.

State assemblies are also not left out in this mighty storm that happened and wiped away many thought to be heroes in Nigeria’s politics. In two states, Yobe and Plateau, new faces will be replacing house members and also speakers who never saw their defeat coming this easy.

The just concluded elections reveal that Nigeria’s political game is changing. The old faces need to sit up and arise before it will be too late for them.

There is need to put things right and ways need to be amended if one truly wants to be relevant in the political affairs of this nation as power is now with the people, to some extent.

Charity Silas,

Mass Communications Department,

Bayero University, Kano