FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo’s remark that the 2023 general elections have left Nigerians more divided than ever before cannot be faulted. He made the observation at a seminar in Abuja on Thursday, April 6, 2023.

The 2023 elections would have passed as just another contestation among candidates and their political parties where virtually everyone involved helped themselves to acts of impunity to win by all means. 

What made the big difference was that, unlike in any other part of the country, the ethnic profiling, attacks, disenfranchisement and burning of markets targeted at a particular ethnic group in Lagos nearly spun out of control.  Whatever happens to Lagos happens to Nigeria.

Before the campaigns and elections, the residents of Lagos lived harmoniously with themselves despite the usual ethnic and religious differences. 

In fact, the youth in particular, defying ethnic, religious and regional differences, were boisterously looking forward to making an impact to ensure the renewal of the fortunes of Nigeria after May29, 2023. Some political forces felt the only way they could succeed was to unchain our ethnic demons.

It is a very old trick which never fails in Nigerian politics. In 1993, Nigerians forgot their ethnic and religious differences and cast their votes for the late Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, despite his contesting on a Muslim-Muslim ticket. The General Ibrahim Babangida military government annulled the election and thus sparked off a national crisis which let loose primordial differences. The crisis only ended when South-West, the injured region, was mollified with the gift of a president, Olusegun Obasanjo.

So, the division is not from the people. It is from the political and cultural elite. Disunity, poverty, religion, regionalism and illiteracy have been weaponised by the political elite of the country down the ages for their selfish aggrandisement. It is a tested and potent armament in their political arsenal which is deployed to keep them in power at the expense of our national unity and socio-political and economic development.

The outgoing regime of President Muhammadu Buhari ran the most divisive government ever in Nigeria. Nigeria was fortunate to survive his extreme nepotism and ill-conceived biased mindset towards some parts of the country in total defiance of his constitutional obligations and oath of office. 

Nigerians had pinned their hope on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s, promise to conduct a credible general election guaranteed by absolute deployment of foolproof technology.

Much of the disunity Obasanjo complains about was caused by the Commission’s failure to abide by some provisions of the Electoral Act and its own guidelines during the general elections. 

We agree with Obasanjo that whoever is sworn in on May 29, 2023 must make the fostering of national unity his top priority.

Only a patriotic leadership can achieve that.