{"id":98200,"date":"2026-03-25T17:50:48","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T17:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=98200"},"modified":"2026-03-25T17:53:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T17:53:14","slug":"kano-optics-and-ilorin-audio-my-public-advisory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=98200","title":{"rendered":"Kano Optics and Ilorin Audio – My public advisory"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dr Bolaji O Akinyemi_<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Government of the day read and interpreted the optics at Kano well. I am however worried about the speculative public reading of the audio signals from Ilorin.<\/p>\n

What was witnessed in Ilorin is pre-election engineering. And history has shown, both in Nigeria and elsewhere, that _when political outcomes are shaped long before ballots are printed, emotional outrage after the fact achieves nothing.<\/p>\n

What happened in Kano \u2014 Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso hosting Peter Obi \u2014 was not just optics. It triggered a counter-signal. And the remarks attributed to Ayo Salami at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism awards should not be dismissed as casual commentary. In elite political communication, nothing is casual.<\/p>\n

So the real question is not _\u201cWill Obi be on the ballot?\u201d<\/p>\n

The real question is: _What must be done to prevent a situation where candidates are removed before voters even have a say?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the hard truth: stopping \u201cthem\u201d is not about protest slogans \u2014 it is about systemic counter-strategy.<\/p>\n

*1. Close the Legal Trap Before It Is Sprung*<\/p>\n

Most disqualifications in Nigeria don\u2019t happen on election day; they happen in courtrooms months earlier.<\/p>\n

Every potential legal vulnerability \u2014 party structure, nomination process, past statements, documentation \u2014 must be pre-audited by top constitutional lawyers.
\nBuild a legal war room now, not after INEC releases final lists.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anticipate pre-election suits \u2014 because that is where the real battle will be fought.<\/p>\n

If you wait for the Supreme Court, you\u2019ve already lost time and momentum.<\/p>\n

2. Control the Party, Not Just the Popularity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Popularity does not guarantee ballot access. Party machinery does.
\nSecure airtight control or alliance within party structures<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Avoid internal litigations \u2014 many candidacies in Nigeria have died from \u201cfriendly fire.\u201d<\/strong>
\nEnsure delegates, executives, and compliance officers are aligned.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Nigerian politics, the party is the first gatekeeper \u2014 not the voters. That was the code referred to as “No Structure” in 2023.<\/p>\n

Don’t be guilty twice!<\/p>\n

3. Build a Multi-Node Coalition (Not a Personality Movement)<\/strong>
\nWhat Kano hinted at must become something more structured.<\/p>\n

A north\u2013south\u2013middle belt coalition that cannot be easily isolated.<\/p>\n

Engagement with political blocs beyond social media enthusiasm \u2014 including traditional, religious, and grassroots networks.<\/p>\n

Strategic alignment with figures like Kwankwaso is not symbolic \u2014 it is structural insurance.<\/p>\n

If a candidate stands alone, they can be removed alone.<\/p>\n

4. Preempt Narrative Warfare<\/strong>
\nBy the time \u201cObi may not be on the ballot\u201d becomes mainstream, it has already been seeded._<\/p>\n

Launch a preemptive communication strategy:
\nFrame any disqualification attempt as anti-democratic before it happens.<\/p>\n

Internationalize the narrative \u2014 ECOWAS, AU observers, global media.<\/p>\n

Use data, not emotion \u2014 document patterns, precedents, and legal inconsistencies.<\/p>\n

Narrative control determines whether an action is seen as \u201clawful\u201d or \u201cillegitimate.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Institutional Pressure \u2014 Not Street Noise Alone<\/strong>
\nOutrage without structure is noise. Pressure must be targeted.<\/p>\n

Engage<\/strong>:
\n*Judiciary watchdogs
\n*NBA factions
\n*Civil society coalitions
\n*Electoral reform advocates<\/p>\n

Demand transparency in:
\n*INEC processes
\n*Judicial timelines
\n*Candidate screening criteria<\/p>\n

Make it costly \u2014 reputationally and institutionally \u2014 to manipulate the process.<\/p>\n

6. Parallel Political Pathways<\/strong>
\nPrepare for disruption.<\/p>\n

If one platform is blocked, have:
\n*A backup party structure
\n*Coalition agreements already signed
\n*Avoid last-minute scrambling \u2014 that\u2019s how systems defeat insurgent candidacies.<\/p>\n

Politics at this level is chess, not checkers.<\/p>\n

7. Mass Voter Readiness (Not Just Mobilisation)<\/strong>
\nPeople often mobilize for elections. They rarely mobilize for process protection.<\/p>\n

Educate voters on:
\n*How candidates get disqualified
\n*Why internal party processes matter<\/p>\n

Turn supporters into process defenders, not just voters.<\/p>\n

Because if the candidate never makes the ballot, turnout becomes irrelevant.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Final Word:<\/strong><\/p>\n

If 2023 taught anything, it is this:<\/p>\n

The Nigerian electoral battlefield is not election day \u2014 it is the months before it. We are months away from 2027 election.<\/strong><\/p>\n

*What we are confronted with in Salami’s statement is a familiar pattern:* <\/strong>
\nEarly alliances<\/strong>
\nElite signaling<\/strong>
\nLegal positioning<\/strong>
\nNarrative conditioning<\/strong><\/p>\n

If those who want a different outcome in 2027 do not respond with equal sophistication, then yes \u2014 they will wake up to a ballot that has already been decided for them.<\/p>\n

And at that point, tears will not count. STRATEGY will.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ire o!<\/p>\n

\u25cf Dr. Akinyemi is a commentator on public policy and politics.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dr Bolaji O Akinyemi_ The Government of the day read and interpreted the optics at Kano well. I am however worried about the speculative public reading of the audio signals from Ilorin. What was witnessed in Ilorin is pre-election engineering. And history has shown, both in Nigeria and elsewhere, that _when political outcomes are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":98201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5782,8],"tags":[1243,1546,8151,2085],"class_list":["post-98200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-opinion","category-politics","tag-kwankwaso","tag-obi","tag-optic","tag-salami"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=98200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/98201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=98200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=98200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}