The campaigns for the 2027 general election are officially on, and it has been three weeks since the field was thrown open for action. But not so much seems to be happening, as the politicians appear to be taking their time. This was not the case in 2023. At this time in that year’s electoral cycle, the political temper was different, and the campaign grounds across the country had assumed the energy of a gravitational force. Both the candidates and their supporters were everywhere, up and alive. They were not taking any chances, worsening the toxicity of the campaign landscape, its strategies and language. At this time in the campaigns, Nigerians were in the firm grip of rising fuel prices and long vehicular queues at fuel stations that had persisted for most of the previous two years.
Then–Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele had started his ruinous experiment with the lives of Nigerians with his naira redesign policy that made the chances of the APC presidential candidate not only herculean but also more untenable as a member of the ruling party. We are nowhere close to the feverish condition of that time, just three months to a presidential election that an opposition in confused inertia has vowed to take and framed as a contest between the ruling party and Nigerians. Which somewhat gestures to their irrelevance in the contest and their acceptance of the situation. What has happened so far seems like a dress rehearsal for the main event. This is stating it charitably. Otherwise, the key stakeholders in the race to 2027 appear exhausted before the campaigns have taken off.
