The 2023 elections are around the corner. This is a time when everyone should be actively involved in the process of electing a leader. According to many a poll, there are still quite a number of undecided voters, many who have voter cards, and are eligible to vote, but do not know where to pitch their tent. Now, this might not be apathy. It could be a result of not knowing whom to select. If you’re one of such people, let’s help you a little bit :
This is the most consequential elections of our time- Femi Gbajabiamila
1. Antecedents
In selecting your leader, you need to look out for what they have done in the past. You’re hiring the leader to work for you, thus you need to review their antecedents: where they’ve worked before and how they fared in their previous jobs. In comparing antecedents of various candidates you also have to consider other variables. For example, what were the challenges they faced and how did they overcome them?
Nigeria is a complex country with complex challenges, if the candidate has a good history, then it has to be compared pari passu the challenges other candidates faced before you make an informed decision. So let’s assume Candidate A improved the GDP of his state by 100 per cent, and Candidate B by 50 per cent. That shouldn’t make you say oh, Candidate A is better. You first have to analyze what obstacles they both faced before making your decision. Electing a leader is not only about looking at their baseline but also how they got to said baseline.
2. Attitude
The Attitude of a candidate tells you a lot about how he will govern. It is the very thing you need to look out for when electing a leader. We know for sure that individuals pretend. But the truth is your attitude cannot hide forever. One way or the other along the campaign journey, you will see the negative traits of a candidate rare its ugly head. Remember that one very important feature of good leadership is empathy. Someone who has no compassion for you will never work for you. Remember that the job of a leader can be overwhelming. The way they will react to minor problems now would be magnified when they are faced with enormous problems as elected leaders.
