The art of war: 7 leadership lessons from the Bayelsa election debacle

The dust is now beginning to settle on what some felt was a very controversial Supreme Court decision to remove APC's candidate, Senator David Lyon, as governor of Bayelsa and to appoint instead the PDP's candidate, Senator Douye Diri. The last arbiter of the land reached this decision because, apparently, Senator Lyon's deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, submitted fake certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Since much has already been written about what led to the crisis, I will not bother to go into the details of this incident. I believe it is only those living under a rock in Nigeria, who would not have the details and outcomes of the Bayelsa elections firmly etched in their minds. Alternatively, what I would like to talk about in this article, are seven important principles that anybody striving after leadership can learn, just from observing the outcomes of this sensational event. I have listed these laws below:

Rule number 1: leaders must always remember that it is more important to win the war than it is to win a battle:

I agree with research that suggests that leadership is an acquired skill. I also support the view that good judgment and decision making are hallmarks of good leadership. Thus as a leader, you must always correctly ascertain your position anytime you are in a conflict situation; when you have obtained mastery over this struggle, you must determine whether what you have won is actually the main war, or just one of the many battles you must win, to get the ultimate victory.

Unfortunately, the APC forgot two things- first, that there were two cases pending in the courts concerning this election; and second, that these two cases were equally important in the sustenance of their victory. The APC was obviously distracted by the fact that they had won the major battle which was the election. They were also buoyed by their first Supreme Court win, where the court awarded its judgment to Senator Lyon. Essentially, this ruling vacated the right of the Senator's fellow party man, Heineken Lokpobiri, to challenge the APC's right to appoint Lyon as their candidate. Sadly, the APC thought the war was won, but they did not understand that they had only gained victory in some of the major battles concerning the governorship elections.

Rule number 2: leaders should never ever underestimate the power of an adversary whom they have supposedly defeated, especially when that adversary has more knowledge about a particular strategy or environment than them.

Leadership pundits continue to suggest that a good leader understands strategy and how to deploy that plan within different contexts. This means that leaders must be able to accurately respond to the demands of a particular situation, including identifying their opponents' strengths and weaknesses, especially as these play out within various settings.

It seems that the APC forgot that Dickson is a lawyer who has over two decades of experience working in the legal and regulatory industry, initially, as a police officer and then as a practising lawyer. Governor Dickson has also been a member of the Council of Legal Education and he is an active member of the Nigerian Bar Association. This implies that he has a sound knowledge of the legal system which he obviously used to the PDP's advantage to the detriment of the APC. Consequently, though poor leadership management exchange caused him to have clay feet on the election day, his feet were ironclad when it came to the Bayelsa PDP court case challenging the veracity of Lyon's deputy's educational qualifications. Incidentally, Senator Diri, the incumbent governor, is an educationist who worked in the educational system in the south-south for years; he would definitely have had a good idea about which south-south leader had gone to school and which had not!

Rule number 3: leaders should always remember that the friends of their enemies are their enemies and likewise the enemies of their friends:

Organizational theorists will have us believe that a good leader is one who understands how to exploit his or her own social networks and the networks of others. Accordingly, leaders must always understand that their enemies may often not only be the people that they are directly fighting against but also, that they may be some unseen parties who are waiting in the shadows to play a hand.

Picture: from the left: Sylva, Lyon, Diri and Dickson

For example, in this case, and for some reason that many are still trying to fathom, the APC lawyers representing Senator Lyon and his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, in the suit brought against them by the PDP, forgot to ask the Supreme Court justice Mary Odili to recuse herself from the case. Though she did not write the lead judgment, honourable Justice (Mrs.) Odili purportedly headed the panel constituted to review the Bayelsa PDP vs. Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo case. And it was this rather careless omission that most pundits believe, majorly, cost the APC their victory.

Picture: Justice Mary Odili (picture culled from Naiijalive.com)

The lawyers should have mandatorily asked for Honourable Justice Odili's withdrawal for the following reasons. First, her husband, a former governor of Rivers State, is apparently still a card-carrying member of the PDP. Second, according to the word on the streets, the Odilis remain sworn enemies of Rotimi Ameachi their former protegee, who is not only the present minister of transport but also an APC leader who controls a juggernaut in the Rivers State part of the south-south. Notably, Ameachi as an antagonist in this saga was hardly visible like Sylva, the current petroleum minister and former governor of Bayelsa, who led APC's charge for Bayelsa during the state's elections; however, there were some who believed that this judgment could have served as a means of the Odili's reasserting their authority over a region where their image was purportedly diminished under the reign of Ameachi.

Additionally, there are some who also believe that this was a punitive judgment given in response to the Supreme Court judgment, which recently removed Governor Ihedoia as the substantive Governor of Imo State located in the southeastern enclave of the country. The Governor was the PDP candidate for the state, which coincidentally is the same state that Justice Odili comes from. Interestingly, the fact of judges being potentially biased is of currently of great concern to Ihedioha's lawyers; I recently read in the papers that his legal counsel has asked for 6 Supreme Court judges to withdraw from hearing the judicial review which the governor has filed concerning this recent Supreme Court judgment.

Rule number 4: leaders must always strive never to support the opposition openly:

Leadership experts often advise leaders to develop a good understanding of power, especially how to use this tool when there are tensions among followers, supporters, and members of the opposition. One obvious way to wield power effectively is for a leader never to support the opposition openly. When a leader does not provide help openly to the adversary, it will make it difficult for their supports and allies to trace any form of treachery to them; this will serve to protect a leader's image and control over their followers when a sudden change in a leadership tussle occurs.

Hence, if as a leader, you are forced to partner with the opposition due to certain sociopolitical and or economic exigencies, you must do so quietly and through proxies who will take the fall for you if things swing against an alliance with your enemy. President Jonathan did not seem to get the memo on this, and his open support for the opposition candidate, Lyon, may end up coming back to haunt him in the future permutations of the PDP, both at the state and national level.

Rule number 5: leaders should never celebrate a victory until the war is fully won:

Studies propose that when you occupy a headship position, you must be aware of the dynamics of change. Therefore a leader must never celebrate a victory prematurely; lest he or she becomes like the marathon runners who have lost a race at the finish line because they raised their hands a bit too early, giving way for the runner-up to claim the victory. Also, leaders must never leave things to chance, keeping tabs on their enemies' plans as closely as possible.

When David Lyon and his followers should have been observing the Supreme Court proceedings brought against his deputy by the PDP, he was busy at the Samson Siasa Stadium rehearsing for his inauguration meant to hold the next day; it was at this event that he received the news of his removal, while he was waving excitedly at the crowd that had gathered to watch this spectacle. Sadly, it was obvious that hubris and overconfidence had set in and Senator Lyon had raised his hands too soon, allowing Senator Douye Diri to dash past him and snatch the gubernatorial prize.

Picture: Senator Lyon preparing for the inauguration that never held (picture culled from Lindaikejisblog.com)

Rule number 6: leaders should always ensure that they make peace with a powerful enemy once they have won a war:

Part of a leader's ability to maneuver power and social networks is also the knowledge of how to make a powerful enemy become a friend, especially after a conflict has ended. This is because leadership disciples understand that it is more important to grow an active followership base than it is for them to increase the enemy count.

Governor Douye Diri showed a very good mastery of this principle when he went straight to the home of President Jonathan to present his certificate of return, thus making the ex-President understand that he was still needed and highly revered. Diri is also currently making desperate overtures to reach out to all the disenchanted members of the PDP in the state, some of whom have already crossed the carpet to join the APC. He has stated openly that he intends to be a governor to all. These actions are very necessary for him to take, given that a second war is silently brewing in Bayelsa, as World War II did after World War I.

Rule number 7: Leaders should always remember that one war can still lead to another:

Part of change involves a leader discerning that the victory of one war could be the fodder for the next. Accordingly, leaders should never bask in a victory for too long as they must constantly prepare for the next onslaught from the adversary, correctly ascertaining the right strategies to contain the enemy.

Sadly for Diri, it is not yet Uhuru for him as the sun does not seem to have risen fully on his tenure; there are two cases currently pending against him in the courts. The first stems from a request filed by the APC for the Supreme Court to review its decision in the Bayelsa PDP vs. Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo case. The second is the suit that Timi Alaibe the second runner up in the PDP primary elections has brought against the Bayelsa PDP, challenging Douye's right to be elected as the State's PDP governorship candidate. Accordingly, how properly Governor Diri manages rules 1,2,3, 5and 6 will determine how well he will be able to win the next war. Nevertheless, till when the next war manifests itself in Bayelsa or anywhere else in Nigeria, let's wait and see.

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Ema Clark is a communication, career, and leadership expert.