Elections are lost and won far away from voting and collation centers. Elections are lost and won on the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of the major actors and their respective vehicles…Ena E. Orugbo
The dynamics of Nigeria’s politics was suddenly altered with the arrival of APC at the national stage. PDP has now been forced to awake from the lethargy of monopoly and APC taught with recent happenings that stamina not speed is vital for marathons such as the Presidential race. In addition, as the elements of oligopoly (political alignments and realignments) solidify and the curtain gently opens to Act 2 Scene 1 (Presidential race) there is need for a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the APC, PDP and their likely presidential candidates. This will increase visibility, provide much needed ‘new information’ for credit rating agencies such as Standard and Poor’s (S&P) and stir intellectual discuss.
All Progressive Congress (APC)
S – Solid media penetration and quick time to decisions
W – Unstable (lacks ideological and institutional cohesion) and owned by two individuals
O – Apathy for PDP and cravings for change
T – Religious burden, Presidential ticket time bomb and highly vulnerable to PDP poaching
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
S – Established and extremely rich
W – Lethargy of monopoly thus power not service centric
O – New party leadership (Muazu factor) and experienced in national politics
T – Linear thinking and absence of contingency plan/plan B
General M. Buhari rtd (APC)
S – Determined and good name
W – Age and politically naive
O – Block vote due to cult like northern follower ship gives him strong negotiating power
T – Elite mistrust, judgmental and northern inclination
Mallam N. A. El-Rufai (APC)
S – Competent and energetic to drive change
W – Insensitive and not empathetic
O – Ambitious and young
T – Disloyal and lacks nationalistic zeal
Alhaji A. Abubakar (APC)
S – Economically and politically sophisticated
W – Unstable and short sighted
O – Approachable and flexible
T – Desperate for power thus bad loser instinct
Dr G. E. Jonathan (PDP)
S – Humble and Patient
W – Convectional and vulnerable with decisions
O – Under rated by opponents and incumbency factor
T – Sycophants and self
In this piece, Nigeria’s leading political parties and their presidential hopefuls have been presented and analyzed across their Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. The SWOT results show that APC is vulnerable and has a monumental task ahead. Further interpretation of the SWOT results shows that PDP is established but linear thinking and lack of a contingency plan is a threat too risky. This piece recommends that APC detonates its Presidential ticket bomb now to allow for recovery and Jonathan engages young Turks for fresh thinking and to shore up his chances. Lastly, Jessica Pierce of Career Connectors says hiring companies select the best candidates based on character, competence and chemistry and sure Nigerians will take a cue.
Dr. Ena E. Orugbo is a Forensic Decision Analyst/Public Infrastructure Expert
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