Alex Ter Adum, PhD
Deconstructing the Jagaban and Master Strategists Myth
The Nigerian political conversation has been trapped for too long in the myth of the Jagaban as an invincible political strategist who cannot be defeated without an elaborate opposition alliance. This narrative exaggerates the power of one politician while underestimating the collective power of millions of Nigerian citizens.
No politician is invincible. No political strategy is infallible. And no incumbent possesses a divine right to remain in power. Elections are not the private property of political godfathers; they are constitutional instruments through which citizens confer, renew or withdraw political legitimacy.
The so-called master strategist mythology thrives when citizens are conditioned to believe that defeating an incumbent requires matching his political machinery, financial resources, elite alliances and patronage networks. That is a dangerous misconception. It shifts attention from the people to politicians and transforms elections into contests between powerful individuals rather than a collective assessment of governance.
What Nigeria needs is not merely a united opposition but united citizens demanding accountability, competence, security, economic relief and responsible leadership.
Opposition parties may disagree over candidates, ambitions, platforms and power-sharing arrangements. Such disagreements are inevitable in a competitive democracy. But citizens do not need to suspend their demand for good governance until politicians settle their differences. They can organise, register, obtain their PVCs, mobilise their communities, scrutinise candidates, reject vote-buying and protect their votes.
A united opposition can be useful, but it is not a substitute for an awakened electorate. Political coalitions assembled around personalities may fracture over ambition; a citizens’ movement anchored on shared grievances, democratic values and measurable expectations can sustain pressure beyond election day.
The real question is not whether Tinubu is a master strategist or whether Jagaban’s political machinery is formidable. The question is whether Nigerians will continue to tolerate conditions they believe are unacceptable or exercise their constitutional power to demand change.
The ultimate master strategists in a democracy should be the citizens themselves. When they organise peacefully, vote consciously and defend the integrity of the electoral process, political mythology loses its power.
Nigeria’s democratic future must not depend exclusively on politicians uniting. It must depend on citizens discovering and exercising their collective power. That is the foundation of genuine democratic change. And that is why TINUBU MUST GO (TMG) IS THE CODE.
Alex Ter Adum, PhD
DDG THE NARRATIVE FORCE
