The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has stated that Nigerian politicians often make unrealistic promises to mislead voters.
He asserted that politicians are more interested in securing votes rather than preparing citizens for the challenges of governance.
Naija News reports that Kukah spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies in collaboration with the Kukah Centre.
Kukah said politicians often use attractive images and grand promises to sell an appealing vision to voters, only to abandon their commitments after assuming office and begin making excuses about the difficulties of governing.
He urged Nigerians to develop the capacity to interrogate such claims before elections.
Illustrating the disconnect between campaign promises and governance, Kukah narrated the story of a politician who used impressive images of tarred roads, bridges, beautiful houses and children in smart school uniforms to convince voters during his campaign.
The politician reportedly won the election, but after three years, residents complained that none of the promised projects had materialised.
“When confronted, he told them, “You are confusing campaign with governance. What I did was purely a simple campaign. Governance is a difficult part.”
Kukah said the politician’s response reflected a recurring pattern in Nigeria’s political system, where elected leaders make ambitious promises during campaigns but resort to excuses after taking office.
He said, “And this is why we have Nigerian politicians turn around, once they have been sworn in and after telling us all the things they want to do, and say, ‘We didn’t know that the treasury was so empty.’ Then, they start giving one excuse after the other.”
The cleric said politicians were often more concerned about creating attractive campaign narratives than communicating the realities of governance, adding that voters must learn to distinguish between political promises and what could realistically be achieved.
He stated, “The point I am making is that it is the business of politicians to seduce, deceive or tell us things we can’t do just to win our votes. But we are sufficiently knowledgeable, and our experience should help us to test the limits of the claims that politicians make.”
Kukah stressed that Nigerians should not passively accept campaign messages but develop the capacity to question politicians, scrutinise their promises and demand accountability.
