The national secretariat of a political party is managed by the ________

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks who manages the national secretariat of a political party. The secretariat is the administrative headquarters of the party, so we need the officials responsible for its day-to-day running.

Step 2: Explain the concept In Nigerian political parties, such as the APC, PDP and Labour Party, the national secretariat is the permanent office, usually in Abuja, that handles administration, records, correspondence, membership registers and organization of party activities.

The key officers who run it are:

• National Chairman: the overall head of the party and its chief administrator.
• National Secretary / General Secretary: the chief administrative officer, who keeps the records, issues notices and coordinates the secretariat staff.

Other officers, such as the Youth Leader, Treasurer and Publicity Secretary, assist, but they do not head the secretariat.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. Presidential candidate: Wrong. He or she is the party's flagbearer in an election, not the administrator of its office.
• B. Funding members: Wrong. Financial contributors have no formal role in managing the secretariat.
• C. National chairman and general secretary: Correct. They are the top executive and administrative officers of the party.
• D. National executive and youth organizer: Wrong. The National Executive Committee is a policy and governing body, not the manager of the secretariat, and the youth organizer handles only youth affairs.

Step 4: Answer The national secretariat of a political party is managed by the national chairman and general secretary, which is option C.

Exam tip: Remember "Chairman leads, Secretary administers." When a question asks about running the office or secretariat, think of the chairman and secretary first. Options that name a single-purpose officer, such as the youth organizer, or an outside group, such as funders, are usually distractors.