After running one of the eye-grabbing and decent campaigns in the history of chairmanship race at the national level, Saliu Mustapha, now Senator-elect, reenacted what has become a reputation of sort when he turned his eyes on the senatorial seat of Kwara Central. He ran a solid, disciplined, expansive and inclusive campaign that has now become a benchmark for future political engagements within the senatorial district.
With a well-laid out campaign strategy, one which decentralized access and granted local supporters full participation; Saliu Mustapha ran a never-seen before campaign in the history of Senate run in Kwara Central.
Aside the catchy slogan (Doing It Differently) which carried with it a message as well as a promise of a new and better way of doing things, the campaign had a clear and deliberate organization, with a clear direction that was carefully followed through.
Planned to be in sync with the personality of the candidate which abhors ostentation and thrives more on simplicity, the Saliu Mustapha campaign was measured both in tone and content. The message from the campaign constantly emphasized issues, while rebuffing every attempt to be dragged into the murky waters of slander and blackmail. The dexterity with which the Saliu Mustapha Campaign Organization (SAMCO) handled all emerging political and campaign issues, especially the deployment of rich contents, was to set a pace for the campaigns of several other candidates in the election.
With a strong youth support base housed under the ‘Turaki Volunteers,’ the Saliu Mustapha campaign was able to organize its offline activities effectively, ensuring that as many as are willing to get involved in the campaigns were able to do so. As the only candidate with campaign offices in the 4 local government areas namely Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South and Asa; in addition to the main campaign headquarters, Mustapha bridged the communication gap and ensured constituents and supporters had access to information as well as the required materials to further cascade the campaign deeper to the grassroots.
A pace setter as far as modern campaigning is concerned, Saliu Mustapha did not copy the popular street rally and canvassing favoured by other candidates. Instead, he embarked on a tour of the entire 52 wards that made up the Kwara Central senatorial district, making direct engagement with the grassroot as colourful as never seen before. Ever a rallying figure, he gave other candidates running for various elective positions, specifically House of Representatives and State House of Assembly candidates, the opportunity to latch onto his electrifying campaign for a better visibility.
Saliu Mustapha’s campaign was also quite heavy on engagement. As a frontline traditional title holder himself, he engaged the local district heads across the senatorial district, personally visiting with them to solicit their support. He also had several engagement sessions with diverse groups and associations where he shared his strategic vision and plans for Kwara Central. All the while his opponents focused exclusively on radio engagements, Saliu Mustapha adopted a mixed approach, simultaneously reaching out to stakeholders and voters both online and offline.
Without being lavish and wasteful, and with a modest and measured approach, the Saliu Mustapha campaign was able to create unimaginable value with its campaign spending. With creativity, the campaign added glamour to every political event it took part in, especially the presidential campaign rally in Ilorin where its involvement introduced the necessary glamour and colour that gave the event the image of a carnival.
While being deliberate with all of its offline campaign activities, the campaign team of Saliu Mustapha also did great with its online strategy, especially the digital media component. From the consistent and catchy branding to the spectacular photos, down to the engrossing messaging and publications; the campaign team was great on all fronts.
Indeed, when the history of electoral campaigns in Kwara Central is written, Saliu Mustapha’s would doubtless be documented as one rich in creativity, organization and dexterous delivery. It was a campaign heavy in planning and spectacular with implementation. Kwara Central has definitely not seen anything like it up to this point. Kudos to the team and the MSM that led it!
