‘A Card Smaller Than Your ATM, Stronger Than Their War Chest’
IN January 2023, I wrote a piece in this same “Inside Stuff” column titled “Your PVC is your power of mass destruction.” I was not calling for violence. I was calling for votes. I argued then that instead of agonising on Twitter (now X), instead of cursing on radio, instead of protesting without a plan, young Nigerians should preserve and use their PVCs as weapons to “blow away” the vices that have held Nigeria down: incompetence, corruption, impunity, and the politics of stomach infrastructure.
No one was sure that call was heeded as we had in May 2023 what we are to vote for or against on January 16, 2027. Their offerings so far are on the 2027 ballot. But specifically, an off-season election, in Osun state last month, (August 15, 2026) that theory was tested and it worked. Federal power. Incumbency. Bullion vans. Mega rallies. And behold, the people won. The majesty of people power!
The pre-election mega rally in Osun state last month didn’t change the result. Money flew. Helicopters landed. But the PVC spoke louder. That is the lesson: There are no polling booths on social media. The BBC generation can make all the noise online, but on election day, only the card counts.
This simple voter-education piece is about that power we shouldn’t discount. That there is power in your Permanent Voter Card (PVC). The power in your participation. And how together, they can defeat ‘transactional leadership’ that has held Nigeria down, reproachfully.
Here is the message of hope to all of us: “A PVC is not plastic. It is a contract. It is a gun without bullets. It is a veto without violence.”
What is transactional leadership and why it thrives?
Before we talk about the cure, let’s name the disease. Transactional leadership in Nigeria is simple: “I give you rice, you give me your vote. I tar 1km of road, you forget three years of failure. I pay your WAEC fees, you ignore my looting.”
It runs on three pillars:
1. The economy of desperation: When food inflation is 40%, when energy tariffs chase Dangote and BUA out of business, when GDP data is used as “escapism” from the reality of multidimensional poverty, people become cheap to buy. A bag of rice on eve of election looks like salvation. Or so it seems.
2. The theatre of mega rallies: Planes. Drums. Nollywood stars. Billboards from Abuja to Lagos. The goal is intimidation: “We are too big to lose. But #Osun 2022 and 2026 proved it: Mega rallies did not translate to mega votes.
3. The weaponisation of apathy: The system wants you tired. “All politicians are the same.” “My vote won’t count.” “INEC will rig it.” Complacency is the mother of voter apathy. And apathy is the father and birthplace of transactional leadership.
Transactional leaders don’t need your ideas. They need your silence. But your PVC destroys that silence.
The PVC – An anatomy of a weapon: What is a Permanent Voter Card?
It is not just ID. It is leverage. It is equality. In the polling booth, the billionaire and the okada rider have one vote each. No aide. No convoy. That is the only place in Nigeria where power is truly 1-man-1-vote.
It is memory: Your PVC remembers what GDP press releases forget: The price of garri. The hours without light. The child out of school. You bring that memory to the ballot.
It is mass destruction of bad systems: I can repeat this. One PVC cannot change Nigeria. But 93 million PVCs can. 93 million PVCs can blow away:
– A minister who thinks Twitter is governance
– A governor who uses poverty as campaign strategy
– A party that thinks incumbency is immunity
It is proof of citizenship: In 2023, INEC recorded over 93.4 million registered voters. In the Osun off-season election 2026, voter turnout beat projections because people believed their card mattered. The card is not magic. It is math. And math defeats money when people show up.
Osun 2026 and the proof – When people power defeated federal might:
Let’s talk about that off-season election. The ruling party came with everything:
Federal might. State resources. Mega rallies. Traditional rulers. “Stomach infrastructure.” The opposition came with one thing: organisation + angry voters with PVCs. Result: The vigilant people won because: Voters were competent in civic engagement. They knew polling units. They came early. They guarded votes.
They were not intimidated. Helicopters did not vote. Drones did not vote. People did. Yes, people voted issues, not stomach. They rejected GDP grammar and asked about food prices, school fees, hospital bills. That is the template. It was not perfect. But it proved one thing: Incumbency + Money < PVCs + Anger + Organisation. That is how not to be intimidated by rallies.
The social media trap: – “NO polling booths on Facebook/Twitter (x)
Let’s address the BBC generation directly. You are loud. You are smart. You are global. You trend #EndSARS. You trend #NotTooYoungToRun. You trend everything. But my 2023 warning still stands: There are no polling booths on social media. ‘Likes’ don’t elect councilors. ‘Retweets’ don’t pass budgets. ‘Threads’ don’t appoint judges. What happens? We substitute activism for voting. We protest for three days, then stay home on election day. We assume virality = victory. One million tweets ≠ one million votes. We get surprised by results. “How did he win?” He won because his voters came out.
This is not to shame online engagement. Social media is for agenda-setting.
But the ballot is for decision-making. The transactional leader loves that you will tweet for four (4) years and vote for four (4) hours. Break the cycle.
The enemies of PVC power: If your PVC is a weapon, these are the enemies trying to jam it: Enemy1: Complacency – “I ’m not interested in politics.” Translation: “I’m interested in the consequences of politics.” Complacency hands power to those who show up.
Enemy 2: cynicism – “All of them are the same.” No. They are not. Check records. Check budgets. Check debates. Cynicism is a luxury poor people cannot afford.
Enemy 3: intimidation – Mega rallies. Thugs. “We will deal with you.”
Osun 2026 proved that intimidation fails when people decide. Come in groups. Vote. Stay. Watch.
Enemy 4: escapism with data – “GDP grew by 3%.” But garri grew by 60%. Don’t let statistics gaslight your lived reality. Vote that reality. Read what this authority, Aaron Levenstein says about statistics: ‘Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive. But what they conceal is vital.’
How to use your PVC as weapon of mass destruction: This is the practical manual: Preserve it. Laminate it. Photograph it. Know your polling unit. Check INEC portal two (2) weeks before election. A lost PVC on election day is a vote for the other side you don’t like. Mobilise five (5) people: You + 4 friends, family, church/mosque members. Adopt this “PVC Pact”: We will go together. We will stay together. We will vote issues. 93 million voters start with five (5).
Vote competence, not compensation: Reject rice. Reject N5,000. Ask 3 questions:
1. What is your plan for food inflation? 2. What is your plan for electricity tariffs? 3. Show me your track record. If they can’t answer, your PVC should answer for them. Stay and protect your vote: Don’t vote and run. Stay. Watch counting. Take pictures of results. Upload to IReV. Transactional leaders thrive in darkness. Your telephone is the light.
Hold after election: The PVC is not just for voting. It is for holding.
Town halls. FOI requests. Recall processes. The card gives you moral authority for four years.
The economics of participation: Let’s talk money, because transactional leaders do.
Cost of NOT voting:
– 40% food inflation
– N225/kWh electricity tariff
– Companies leaving Nigeria
– ASUU strikes
– Insecurity
Cost of voting:
Transport to polling unit. Four (4) hours of your time. Which is more expensive? When big businesses leave because of energy crisis, they don’t call you. But they are affected by who you vote for. When multidimensional poverty rises, it is not because of GDP. It is because of choices made by people you put in office. Your PVC is an economic tool. Use it.
Defeating transactional leadership – The 2027 blueprint: 2027 is coming. Here is how people power wins: 1. Early registration: Don’t wait till December 2026. Get your PVC now. Transfer. Update. 2. Issue-based campaigns: Don’t ask “which party?” Ask “what plan?” Plan for agriculture. Plan for power. Plan for jobs. No plan, no vote. That is how to enthrone transformative or servant leadership.
3. Kill the mega rally myth: Osun taught us: rallies don’t vote. People do.
Organise house-to-house. WhatsApp groups. Campus town halls.
4. Monitor the money: Track campaign finance. Ask: “Where did this money come from?” Transactional leadership is funded. Expose the funders.
5. Build post-election accountability: Elected them? Good. Now track them.
Use BudgIT. Use Tracka. Use your PVC as license to question.
A message of hope to the young Nigerian: To the one tweeting from London, Toronto, and Lekki: We see you. We need you. But remember: Diaspora remittances build houses. Diaspora votes build nations. If you have a PVC, come home to use it.
If you don’t, get someone with one to use it well. Don’t let “japa” become “ja pa da” – run and abandon. Nigeria is not a Twitter space. It is 240 million people who wake up and need light, food, and safety. Your PVC is how you speak to them.
The contract: Your PVC is a contract between you and Nigeria. It says:
“I will not agonise. I will organise. I will not complain. I will choose. I will not be bought. I will be the buyer – of leadership.” Transactional leaders want you to believe you are powerless. Osun 2026 proved you are not. History will prove you are not.
Believe me. Have faith in the truth they always hide in a grave, which doesn’t stay there: that the people power in PVC and participation is real. It is the only power that can defeat incompetence, corruption, and the politics of “take this and forget.”
So preserve the card. Use the card. Guard the card. Reason? In 2027, the ballot will not ask for your followers. It will ask for your thumbprint. And that thumbprint is the loudest noise you will ever make. It is about our country. Believe me. Nigeria can fulfill destiny despite the present danger. But let’s defeat complacency first. Let’s participate in 2027 elections.
Action Points: 1. Check your PVC status: http://cvr.inecnigeria.org. Pledge 5: Get 5 people to vote with you.
Hashtags: #PVCisPower #NoPollingBoothsOnTwitter #DefeatTransactionalLeadership.
- Oloja is former editor of The Guardian newspaper and his column, Inside Stuff, runs on the back page of the newspaper on Sunday. The column appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday.