Telling Our Politicians That Leadership Fails When Every Decision Is About 2027 -By Isaac Asabor

There is no denying the fact that Nigeria is trapped in a cycle of political short-sightedness, driven by leaders who treat governance as a rehearsal for the next election instead of a responsibility to the people. Every passing day, it becomes more obvious that many of our politicians are consumed by one obsession:’ 2027’. Every calculation, every appointment, every policy delay, every selective enforcement, every half-baked decision, everything is now dictated by the fear of losing the next election. And that is precisely why leadership in this country keeps failing.

When leaders govern with an election calendar instead of a national development blueprint, the nation becomes the casualty. Policies lose conviction. Decisions lose courage. Governance loses purpose.

The deterioration is visible everywhere. Critical problems, “insecurity, unemployment, and systemic injustice”, are no longer treated as urgent national crises. Instead, they are being quietly converted into negotiating chips. Politicians play politics with human lives, economic despair, and broken institutions. They avoid tough decisions because they are afraid of offending voting blocs. They sugar-coat realities to keep political handlers comfortable. They allow festering problems to linger because addressing them boldly might generate backlash. This is not leadership. It is political cowardice disguised as strategy.

Bluntly put in this context, insecurity cannot be a campaign strategy.  This is as Nigeria is bleeding from insecurity that cut across terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, communal clashes, oil theft, violent crime, and yet the political response remains weak, inconsistent, and half-hearted. Why? Because confronting insecurity requires decisive action that might upset certain powerful groups. Instead of confronting the crisis head-on, some leaders resort to negotiation, appeasement, or simply pretending the situation is not as dire.

When leaders choose to tiptoe around insecurity because they fear losing electoral support, the message is clear: human lives are negotiable, votes are not. That is the height of moral failure.

A leader who is truly committed to the nation does not calculate the political consequences of saving lives. He acts. He leads. He confronts threats without thinking of who might frown in 2027.

Looking at this issue from another perspective in this context, it is not out of place to opine that unemployment must not become a political football. This is as millions of Nigerians, graduates, skilled youths, artisans, rural farmers, and professionals, are wandering in frustration because the labour market is shrinking instead of expanding. Yet many politicians prefer commissioning cosmetic empowerment programmes that achieve nothing but photo opportunities. They distribute wheelbarrows and grinding machines, not because these projects solve unemployment, but because they are “politically safe.”

Real job creation requires structural reforms, investment in industries, fixing the power sector, and providing stable economic policies. But bold reforms step on toes. They offend entrenched interests. They require confronting incompetent appointees and dismantling wastage. And so, politicians, in their fear of upsetting the wrong people ahead of 2027, avoid the real work.

For the sake of clarity, unemployment is not a campaign prop. It is a national emergency. And any leader who weaponises it to curry electoral favour is unfit to hold office.

In fact, injustice should never be a tool for political manipulation.  No nation can progress when injustice becomes systemic. Selective prosecution, unfair appointments, ethnic bias, marginalization, inequitable distribution of resources, these are cancers eating deep into Nigeria’s fabric. But instead of fixing the system, many politicians exploit these divisions to strengthen their political bases.

At this juncture, it is germane to opine that injustice becomes a political tool when it appeases any given group, ignores the other group, reward a loyalist, punish a critic, protect an appointee and sacrifice an official.

And the tragic part: some appointees who clearly have no business being in government are retained simply because of electoral expediency. They are politically important, not nationally useful. They deliver votes, not value. The country suffers, but the politicians do not care, as long as those individuals remain useful for 2027. In fact, leadership collapses when incompetence is rewarded and competence is sacrificed for political convenience.

It is expedient to opine that leadership cannot be built on fear of the next election.  A leader who wakes up every day thinking about re-election is not working for the people; he is working for the continuity of his political relevance. That is why bold reforms are avoided. That is why critical policies are watered down. That is why insecurity persists. That is why unemployment remains high. That is why injustices continue unchecked.

Bluntly put, and without any iota of exaggeration, this fear-driven leadership style is the very thing destroying Nigeria. Politicians need to understand a simple truth: If you lead well, you don’t need to fear 2027. Your work will speak for you.

In fact, good governance is not just morally right, it is politically smart. Citizens reward performance. They reward sincerity. They reward courage. But they punish leaders who treat governance like a bargaining chip. Given the foregoing implications, it is not out of place to urge Nigerian leaders to govern as if the next election does not exist.

Nigeria needs leaders who are not intimidated by the political cost of doing the right thing as well as leaders who can make decisions without thinking of backlash. Not only that, Nigeria needs Leaders who can implement reforms without measuring the political damage. Also needed are leaders who can fire incompetent or cantankerous appointees, even if it causes friction. In fact, Nigeria needs leaders who can confront insecurity decisively, without worrying about whose network will be offended.

Without asking for much from Nigerian leaders, there is no denying the fact that governing with courage is the only way to rebuild a nation. In fact, when leaders stop obsessing over 2027, they can finally focus on fixing insecurity without compromise, reducing unemployment through real economic policies, strengthening justice and accountability, cleaning out incompetent appointees, implementing long-term development policies, holding institutions to higher standards and making decisions rooted in national interest.

In fact, Nigeria needs leaders, not election survivalists. Against the backdrop of the foregoing fact, politicians must be reminded that power is temporary, and that legacy is permanent.

On a cautionary note, history is merciless to those who choose ambition over responsibility, and the message is blunt and non-negotiable.  This is as leadership fails when every decision is about 2027. Therefore, our leaders should resort to governing with integrity, and governing with courage today.

Reiteratively put, leaders should resort to governing without fear or political gymnastics today as Nigeria does not need leaders who serve their ambitions.