DrMB:
To understand Nigerian politics is to accept that governance is theatre — and elections are the script.
At first, it seems like magic. How does someone become president in a country of over 200 million people, scattered across 36 states and over 250 ethnic groups?
We imagine it’s merit, charisma, or some divine prophecy. But no — it’s a formula. And like all formulas, those who crack it, win. Consistently.
Let me walk you through what the public doesn’t see, but every kingmaker understands.
Step One: Control the Seven
Forget the ballot box. First, win the seven — then you can talk votes.
There are seven power centers you must win or neutralize before you dare dream of Aso Rock:
Lagos – The economic nerve. Control Lagos, and you control perception, media, and diaspora wallets.
Bayelsa – Not for votes, but for pipelines and upstream oil politics.
Delta – Petro-wealth. It funds silent battles.
Rivers – The most important swing state. Control Rivers, and you control the Niger Delta narrative.
Kano – Population + religion. Win here, and you look legitimate.
Kaduna – Military remnants, northern elite, and intelligence service roots.
The CBN Governor – Yes, you heard right. Control the apex bank, and you can discreetly fund an empire.
It’s not about legality. It’s about liquidity.
And what is politics if not controlled liquidity?
Step Two: Win the Senate Before the Ballot
Power isn't taken during elections. It’s acquired quietly, in senatorial lounges and negotiation tables.
To seal the deal:
Secure 44 of the most influential senatorial districts.
These are the zones that control state assemblies, federal appointments, and — most crucially — party delegates.
How?
It’s contracts. Not all. Just ten in your first year as president.
If 15% of those contracts are redirected as political investments — not bribes, investments — they fund the loyalty ecosystem.
Real-life example:
In 2007, a power plant a state had 32 sub-contractors. Only 4 ever delivered. The rest? Loyalty payments. Their real job was to run zones and mobilize wards. The plant? Still incomplete. But the president got a second term.
Step Three: Lock the Appointments
Here’s your appointment cheat code — get these five, and the rest will follow:
Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) – For legal stability. Your immunity starts here.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) – For suppressing chaos, enforcing order.
Comptroller-General of Customs – Revenue gatekeeper. Handle contraband, fund your political logistics.
The head of The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited – oil, gas, subsidy flows, and the heart of Nigeria’s real economy.
CBN Governor – Again, money is policy. He controls the valves.
Step Four: Suspend the Wolves
To win, you must dine with wolves — and let them lick their wounds later.
You’ll need to suspend pending corruption cases against former governors.
Here’s why:
These men still control war chests — massive funds from IGR (Internally Generated Revenue).
States like Lagos or Rivers generate ₦6-₦7 for every ₦3 they receive from Abuja.
When they leave office, the EFCC knocks. But many already offshored their money or buried it in businesses.
Example:
A former governor of an oil-rich state, despite multiple corruption probes, flew delegates to Dubai for a "leadership retreat." He didn't pay a dime from his salary. You already know what he was spending.
Step Five: External Blessings
He who pays the ambassador decides the speech at the UN.
Get U.S. or Chinese backing. Why?
These nations have investments they need to protect — oil, tech, logistics.
If your candidacy looks like policy continuity, they’ll throw quiet support.
Throwback:
In 2015, a key leak revealed how Buhari’s candidacy was backed by multiple foreign lobbies to unseat Jonathan. Why? Contracts, transparency pledges, and access.
You don’t need public endorsement. Just absence of interference is enough.
Step Six: Muzzle the Masses — Quietly
Stakeholders to monitor:
NANS (Students)
NURTW (Transport)
Market Women Unions
Organized Labour
Should we settle or unsettle them?
Answer: Unsettle.
Give them just enough confusion so they can’t organize. Buy leaders, infiltrate protests, create infighting.
A general strike can ruin a campaign. But an uncoordinated one just fades.
Step Seven: Elite Capture
Buy 10 billionaires, and you’ve bought silence.
Get the top ten wealthiest Nigerians to back you — or at least not back your opposition.
Offer federal contracts.
Give board appointments.
Let them fund their interests — and yours.
Step Eight: Inside the Opposition
Infiltrate. Sabotage. Defect. Repeat.
You don’t need to beat the opposition at the ballot — beat them from the inside.
Send operatives to defect to their party a year before primaries.
Let them run the campaign — badly.
Leak data, fracture leadership, ruin alliances.
When the job’s done, they return — or disappear.
It’s happened. One major contender’s campaign director sabotaged logistics, then jumped ship to a rival mid-race. That rival? Won.
Step Nine: Buy Time — Early
Don’t wait for the primaries to buy votes.
Instead:
Sponsor pilgrimages for delegate families.
Offer federal jobs to their relatives.
Fund small businesses for their spouses.
By the time dollars fly at the primaries, their loyalty is already purchased. It’s no longer transactional. It’s emotional.
Step Ten: Control All Parties — Not Just Yours
Power isn’t partisan. It’s parasitic. It lives where it feeds.
Have a hand in appointing party chairmen — even in opposition camps.
Fund opposition candidates who are secretly loyal to you. Help them win local primaries. Once elected, they’ll sabotage from within.
This is chess. Not checkers.
Step Eleven: Own the Ecosystem
Control these:
INEC
State IECs
Bloggers and Twitter influencers
Religious leaders
Traditional rulers
DGs and Board Chairmen
Then retain four of the best constitutional lawyers in the country. Their job?
Write the laws before the laws matter.
Find your technicalities.
Buy you time.
So… Why Haven’t I Gone Into Politics?
You asked. I smiled.
Because to play this game, you must first agree to be a villain — even if history later calls you a hero.
Power demands blood — not literally, but reputation, compromise, legacy.
And maybe, just maybe… I still believe in clean hands.
But you?
You now know how it’s done.
Let me know if you want this converted into:
A political strategy brief
A presentation deck
A confidential memo for inner-circle operatives
Or a fictional thriller adaptation (Netflix-level political series pilot)
Because this isn’t theory.
It’s how it actually happens.
DR MELCHISEDEC BANKOLE How Presidents Are Made: The Silent Blueprint of the Nigerian Power GameImpressive takes. |
