Every successful campaign begins with a written plan. The Nigerian Campaign Plan should include: (1) Mission and vision of the candidacy; (2) Situation analysis (political landscape, opponent analysis, SWOT); (3) Target voter segments; (4) Message platform (3–5 core issues); (5) Organisational structure (campaign council, committees); (6) Budget and fundraising strategy; (7) Timeline from declaration to election day; (8) Legal compliance checklist (INEC filing, finance reports). The plan should be a living document reviewed weekly.

INEC publishes an electoral calendar for each cycle. Key dates include: party primaries (typically 120–180 days before election), submission of candidate names to INEC (90 days before), campaign period commencement (90 days before presidential/governorship, 60 days for others), last day of campaign (24 hours before polling), and election day. Campaigns must align their activities with this calendar. Violation of campaign timing rules can lead to disqualification.

Core team roles: Campaign Manager (overall strategy execution), Chief Strategist/Consultant (polling and data), Director of Communications (media), Director of Organisation (field operations), Finance Director (fundraising and compliance), Legal Counsel (electoral law), Data/Research Analyst, Volunteer Coordinator. For Nigerian campaigns, add: Traditional/Religious Affairs, Youth Mobilisation, Women's Mobilisation, Diaspora Liaison, Security Adviser. The campaign council typically comprises 15–30 senior members.