Thread by @hartng

A few pointers to what Olumide Akpata did that all but ensured he won the election as President of the Nigerian Bar Association 2020.

1. He had track record. Olu has been actively engaged in Bar activities. He was Chairman of the influential Section on Business Law & excelled.

SBL events during his Chairmanship were lit. He invited international figures & attracted large followership to the section. His capacity was on full display. He also chaired the organising committee of the NBA National Conference & did a visibly great job.

2. He was known. Olu was not a dark horse who suddenly emerged on the scene. Lawyers already knew him. He was involved in a lot of NBA & ancillary activities. He had friends accros strata and demographics. It was easy to count on those friendships.

3. He was affable. Olu personally reached out to most of his supporters high & low. For a lot of us, Olu was in constant communication appreciating our efforts which naturally galvanised us to do more. A personal touch makes a lot of difference when you're seeking support.

4. Olu campaigned. Olu was the most travelled contestant. Olu went to almost every state & personally notified lawyers of his aspiration. He held formal interactions in the day & informal hangouts later in the evening. People felt he was one of them. They voted who they knew.

5. Fate was in Olu's favour. Like all elections, there are rules & campaign periods. Before the campaigns were permitted, Olu went nationwide to 'consult' with lawyers. By the time campaigns were opened, Coronavirus had set in & his opponents couldn't travel. Fate.

6. That (in)famous Awomolo letter. We're all privy to the letter written by Chief Adegbogega Awomolo, SAN where he basically said a non-SAN cannot be NBA President. That letter irked people & made those who would ordinarily have abstained to come out & ensure that Olu won.

7. Support of Young Lawyers. Olu, by his nature, appealed to young lawyers. They saw him as one of them & rightly so. In an Internet age, they were also the bulk of the voters who had the presence to navigate an on-line voting system. They were simply electing one of their own.

8. Olu has a successful practice. Olu is the Senior Partner at Templars, one of the most prestigious and successful Law Firms in the country. Success is attractive. People identify with success & the fact that he ran a successful practice added to his appeal.

9. Organic support. Nobody was induced to support Olu. His formidable support base was natural and organic. A lot of strong voices made their support for him public which translated to even more support from hitherto uninterested parties.

10. Relatively transparent process. Aside a few glitches, the Tawo E. Tawo ECNBA conducted a transparent election. The real-time live-scores were also a wonderful innovation. As people saw Olu's soaring lead, it was easy to go with the winner. It also encouraged more voters.

I know I would have missed some vital factors & commenters are welcome to add their take.

These are a few lessons for those intending to contest elections irrespective of the office. Do your homework, put in the work, seek God's favour, then watch things coalesce.

Udo diri unu.