The Madman, The Moon-Seekers And The 2027 Campaign Promises!

There is an old story about a man who had been kept in a psychiatric hospital for a long time because every treatment seemed unable to cure him. One day, as people gathered to look for the new moon to confirm the beginning of Ramadan, everyone was struggling to see it.

Suddenly, the madman, appearing unusually calm, asked them: “Are you not looking for the moon?”

They answered, “Yes.”

He pointed upward and said: “Then there it is!”

Someone asked, “Where?” Before the madman could point it out, another man nearby dismissed him: “Leave him alone. He is mad.”

But the madman insisted: “Wallahi, look carefully. There is the moon!”

Someone finally looked up—and there it was! The moon had indeed appeared. The crowd erupted in celebration. They concluded that the madman had finally recovered. Preparations were made to release him from the psychiatric ward.

Hearing this, the man suddenly jumped up, pointing in different directions: “And there is another moon! There is another one over there! And another one there!”

He began rolling his eyes and pointing wildly at the sky.

That was when the people realised the truth: he had not recovered at all. They immediately said, “Take him back. Do not release him!”

That story bears an uncomfortable resemblance to the emerging politics of the 2027 presidential race in Nigeria.

At first, some campaign promises sound convincing—big, attractive and almost too good to question. But the moment Nigerians begin asking “How?” “With what resources?” “Under what policy?” “By what timeline?” another “moon” suddenly appears!

We hear promises about insecurity, banditry, the economy, the naira, food prices, jobs, agriculture, industrialisation and national transformation. Yet increasingly, what Nigerians are hearing is wishful rhetoric without a credible implementation roadmap.

We have seen this movie before. Nigerians have endured years of political promises, grand declarations and electoral assurances, only to discover that some of what was presented as a carefully designed programme was little more than campaign theatre.

The lesson should be simple: Nigeria does not need another politician pointing at imaginary moons in the sky.

We need leaders who can explain how the moon will be reached—not merely shout, “There it is!”

Therefore, as 2027 approaches, Nigerians must stop asking only: “Who makes the biggest promises?”

They must ask: “Who has the credible plan, the resources, the competent team, the implementation timetable and the proven capacity to deliver?”

Because politics is not a psychiatric ward, and the Nigerian voter is not an audience to be entertained with endless moons.

A vote is not a prescription for political madness. It is a sacred mandate—and Nigerians must demand evidence before handing it over.

Hon Dahiru Yusuf Yabo
Sokoto South Senatorial Candidate PDP 2027 | 3rd September 2026