By Femi Emmanuel
The vandalisation of political billboards and banners belonging to aspiring candidates is often perceived by some political supporters as a strategy capable of weakening an opponent and improving the chances of their preferred candidate. Such a belief, however, reflects a dangerous misunderstanding of democratic politics. Political victory is not achieved through the destruction of campaign materials, intimidation or violence; it is earned through persuasion, credible ideas, effective mobilisation and the confidence of the electorate.
Politics, much like football, requires careful planning, strategy and calculation from the outset. Any candidate aspiring to elective office must develop a clear roadmap towards victory. Such a roadmap should include effective grassroots mobilisation, persuasive communication, issue-based campaigns and meaningful engagement with voters. Destroying an opponent’s billboards or banners does not constitute a political strategy capable of winning an election.
One of the most important tools available to political candidates is persuasion. Candidates and their supporters are expected to move from one community to another, engaging the electorate, presenting their manifestos and explaining how their proposed policies and programmes would improve the lives of the people. A candidate who successfully communicates a compelling vision and wins the confidence and acceptance of the electorate stands a far better chance of emerging victorious at the polls.
Political vandalism, therefore, should have no place in a democratic society. The destruction of an opponent’s campaign materials does not necessarily diminish that candidate’s popularity or electoral prospects. In many cases, it can produce the opposite result. When supporters or suspected political thugs destroy the billboards and banners of an opponent, the act may generate public sympathy for the victim and draw greater attention to the candidate’s campaign. What was intended to weaken an opponent could ultimately make the candidate more popular and acceptable to the electorate.
Every aspiring politician should be prepared to demonstrate popularity, influence and genuine public acceptance through lawful and peaceful means. Rather than encouraging supporters to engage in vandalism, political leaders should educate and sensitise their followers about the importance of peaceful participation, respect for the rights of opponents and obedience to the law.
A similar situation has reportedly been witnessed in the ancient city of Ogbomoso, where political thugs allegedly engaged in the destruction of billboards and banners belonging to opposing candidates under the guise of demonstrating unwavering support for their preferred aspirants. Such conduct is unacceptable in a democratic environment, particularly because every qualified citizen has a constitutional right to contest an election and campaign for public support.
Political competition should be about ideas, character, competence and the ability to provide solutions to the challenges confronting the people. It should not become a contest of who can deploy the most thugs or destroy the greatest number of campaign materials.
As elections approach, political parties and their supporters must have a rethink. Loyalty to a political party or candidate should never mean surrendering one’s conscience, dignity or commitment to the law. Supporters should campaign vigorously, but peacefully. They should persuade voters, defend the records and programmes of their candidates, and challenge opponents through facts and constructive debate rather than intimidation and destruction.
There is also a moral question that every political leader and supporter should ask: Would they willingly allow their own children to be recruited as political thugs and exposed to the dangers of violence, vandalism, arrest or even death? If the answer is no, then they should not encourage the children of ordinary Nigerians to undertake such dangerous assignments on their behalf.
The children of the poor deserve the same protection, opportunities and dignity as the children of the wealthy and politically influential. No political ambition is worth sacrificing the future of another person’s child.
Ultimately, elections are won by voters, not by vandals. The surest path to political victory is through credible leadership, persuasive ideas, grassroots engagement and the trust of the electorate. Political supporters should therefore reject vandalism and violence and embrace responsible democratic participation.
The billboard may be destroyed, but an idea cannot be defeated by a hammer. In a true democracy, the people—not thugs—should determine who wins at the polls.
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