Of known horses, dark horses, grey horses and confused voters- @segalink

Most times behaviorists are engaged in studies to help determine the process of designing projects, products, brands and even marketing plans towards something that will end up being targeted at specific markets. Also, national security requires the input of such expertise to determine how best to secure a nation against internal and external threats. Since behaviors are acquired through conditioning, it can be studied in a systemic and observable manner regardless of internal mental states.

Behavioral psychology hence become a useful tool in studying ‘the affairs of men’ under socio-political climes in sane climes towards obtaining better results from the election process and making good choices of leadership from a pool of seemingly sincere aspirants and candidates.

Our sense of value is always going to be tied to the level of exposure and education, yet democracy expects of us to choose wittingly or unwittingly under the assumption that common people know what they want, and deserve the outcome with the pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. Little wonder African countries are stuck in the cycle of elect and regret even as they plumb the line of politics of ethnic extraction.

If a child is given an opportunity to pick between a $5M Dollar Cheque and a cuddly toy (Teddy Bear), even if that child is from Syria with flies orbiting his/her head. That choice will be the Teddy Bear to the agony and pain of the traumatized parents watching the entire process and wishing for a miraculous outcome. Reality remains that human beings can only act based on the limitation of their exposure regardless of the age of the character in question.

The question of choice is another ambiguity. While some hope to pick along the consequences of their choice, others are merely dealing with an irony of choice. Majority of our ideologically bereft political parties in Nigeria most especially, differ only in the means of achieving the same ultimate end. But when are we going to understand as a people that we will never create enough laws to control evil? Does it even obey laws? It begins with counting the cost before stampeding evil incarnates to power.

Unless we have some major alliances, we are approaching a deluge of cancellation of efforts. Because we have different people who attract the same kind of persons running, each cancelling out their votes. So once we have two people that are similar running, each will get a fraction of the votes they would have gotten if they were aligned because you are forcing people to make a difficult choice.

You have a scenario where the strong players as at present; Known Horses, Grey Horses, Dark Horses, and others. Known Horses are prominent contenders, the Grey Horses are people who are not necessarily top of Mind but the kind of people that is worth the shot, people who leave you with questions such as, who will they be aligning with?

Dark Horses, so called because the are not as well known across political spectrum but they are the kind of people that if people get to know them, they will be surprised that we have people like these in the political clime. So if you see any of these Dark Horses having a conversation with any world leader, you are bound to be highly impressed and gorgonized.

These are issues unfortunately the Nigerian populace are not in tune with. This is why they are deemed dark horses with the inherent capacity and the capability, conscientiousness, character, charisma, patriotism and perspicacity, but not on the scope of many people. Each time their names come up, many will scoff and shoot down the possibility ignorantly.

This is where the veracity of Democracy comes into play and whether or not it is right. I feel the greatest ill of the world today in its current form is the belief and the fight for equality. This is one of our greatest challenges. What must be fought for is equity, justice and righteousness (what is right) in fairness.

The equality and the belief that all states should have the same right begins to move rapidly into error when it comes hand in hand with the right to choose what a state is. Recall the rationale for limiting voting rights to the enlightened, recall the creation of states in Nigeria and how we moved from 12 to 36 while multiplying our issues. Now put all this in the context of people who doesn’t know what they want, making critical decisions on who leads them from a pool of people they only know based on what the newspaper says about them.

So we all can agree that we need to think harder than ever and collaborate deeper. The currency in this transition period must never be money but Trust. The critical elements in the coming election is not just the candidates but the electorates. No amount is worth your votes if you can replay what you have gone through in the past 3 years having expected an utopian outcome from the change campaign.

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of Knowledge” — Stephen Hawkins

First published in NigeriaTribuneOnline