- Why Activists And Celebrities Struggle In Nigerian Politics
It is very easy to think that social influence and political influence are similar. I mean, people know you, many people like you and some may even adore you. From the outside, it almost looks like a straight line into power. But when it comes to politics and getting into active seats, the game changes completely.
It is not just who knows you anymore. You suddenly have a lot more to deal with beyond the election itself.
Getting the ticket alone is a battle on its own.
You have delegates to win over, party leaders to convince, and party members who all want something different from the process. Who else wants that same ticket? How do you convince them to step aside for you? Who truly knows you inside that party structure? How many people are actually on your side when the votes are counted behind closed doors?
The questions go on and on, and social influence alone does not answer them.
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We have seen this time and time again. People who are widely loved in the social space, outspoken figures, activists, entertainers, sometimes even celebrities, step into politics and it looks like a done deal from the outside. Then suddenly, things go south.
This coming election, just like others before it, brought a fresh set of social influencers and activists into the political space.
I remember when the news broke about Aisha Yesufu stepping into Abuja Senatorial race under the NDC, a party that is just gaining recognition. I thought to myself that she would get it for sure. She is well known and widely respected in civic circles, I felt that kind of recognition would naturally carry her through.
Well, I was wrong.
She went into the primary for the FCT senatorial ticket, but she did not secure the nomination. And that result says a lot.
Real power sits inside the structure, delegates decide, party leaders influence outcomes. Long standing networks matter more than public approval. In that space, being known by the country is not the same as being trusted by the party machinery.
Then there is Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest.
His case felt different but followed the same pattern in the end. A man with massive social presence, strong visibility, and influence across entertainment and lifestyle spaces. He picked the APC nomination form for the Representatives seat in Imo State, but again, politics proved it’s not about social of street influence.
He failed secure the party ticket in the primaries, according to him only 14 people voted in his favour. He lost it to the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Canice Moore Chukwugozie Nwachukwu, someone who I believe has built a stronger political hold in the state. Political presence and social presence are not the same.
After his loss was the reaction there was a lot of online, many people were surprised, they felt it was going to easy, I mean a whole ‘Cubana Chiefpriest’, losing primaries in this own state?
We have seen this before as well.
I still remember following the 2023 Lagos governorship race and seeing Funke Akindele stepped into the political space as deputy governorship candidate under the Peoples Democratic Party. There was massive attention around her candidacy, and at some point, it felt like public energy was building in her direction. But when the election was concluded… we all know how that ended.
And if you look closely across these cases, a pattern becomes very obvious.
The real contest in Nigerian politics is not always what people see on the surface. The election is just the final stage, the real battle happens earlier, inside meetings, negotiations, delegate conversations, and party arrangements that are not visible to the public.
So when I look at the 2027 political cycle so far, I understand the excitement when activists and entertainers enter the race. I understand why people believe they have a chance, I have even felt that same expectation myself while reading some of these announcements.
But the outcome keeps teaching the same lesson.
In Nigerian politics, popularity might open the door, but structure decides who walks through it.
