2023: Eliminating Tribal Sentiment From Nigerian Politics

It took the whole world on their feet to witness a daydream today: Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina in their World Cup opening match.

It will take the same fate for Nigeria to eliminate tribal sentiment in Nigeria's voting pattern as we count down to the 2023 presidential election.

It is deep-rooted in our political culture.

Tribal belongingness is a national value. It is a social structure crucial to forming a country.

Therefore, no one needs to be ashamed of his tribe.

But in Nigeria, we must be ashamed because we have clung our political structure on tribal sentiments.

How worse can it get when Nigerians now vote across ethnic lines as opposed to competence which is supposed to be the yardstick for political support in the country?

More depressingly, the country's social dislocation rests on tribal sentiments over control of Nigeria's political and economic fortunes.

How does tribal sentiment manifest?

As we count down to the 2023 poll, the trend of political support for the frontrunners in the election has been tribalistic and unyielding. 

The APC presidential candidate was quick to say it was the turn of his kindred, particularly his time to march to the villa.

The tribal game came into play as soon as the two-term Lagos governor announced that he had served "the northern bloc" for a long time.

So Nigerians should primarily consider you because it is your tribe's turn. How come?

Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate, indicated more tribal sentiment.

He said in Kaduna at the Arewa Consultative Forum that he was the best fit for the president's seat from the north.

He added it would even be safer for northerners to vote for him than his opponents.

So, northerners voting for him in the election must consider the tribal parameters before exercising their franchise. 

A faction of Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-cultural group, had publicised that they were rooting for Peter Obi to promote equity, justice and fairness in the Southeastern part of the country because every other major ethnic group has ruled Nigeria.

A quick look at the yearnings of southeasterners on social media also showed that the "Obidient" project moved some Peter Obi supporters because he is from their region. 

Frank Edoho, a popular TV host, also suggested that this is the best chance for the Igbos to have a shot at the presidency, not forgetting how Peter Obi had also been submerged into Biafran controversies. 

When will Nigeria conduct an election devoid of tribal division?

When will the political class stop shield voters into tribal war and societal contraption?

If there would ever be a time for such, it is not in 2023,

Getting out of the rot

The list of tribal political sentiment and abused federal character in Nigeria goes unabated.

Still, we should focus on solutions which is the goal of this piece.

Nigeria voters need to overpower hypocrisy

All voters should do away with the tribal insinuations of the political elites because they have never benefitted from them.

It is the engineers of tribal sentiment who reap the fruit and not the voters.

Some of them even lose their lives and credibility in the process of standing by what they believe.

We should redefine injustice

Agreed that the country has many tribes. Most political actors use their self-driven ethnic bigotry to cry foul for distributive injustice.

Nigeria voters should not entertain the jinx of voting based on ethnic lines because someone told them that it is the turn of their tribe to cut from the national cake.

Rather, they should look at the intellectual material of all the eighteen presidentila candidates in the 2023 presidential election before making theri voting decision.

Inter-ethnic hostility should not be encouraged

As we pedal into the 2023 presidential election, the ground has become tared for online and offline inter-ethnic hostility.

Nigerian voters should not allow irreconcilable inter-ethnic hostilities to sabotage their desire for a better Nigeria. 

Voters should not absorb propaganda

There are a lot of tribal conspiracies that have been planted by history or pre-independence. Voters should look beyond most of this propaganda and vote for the candidate they think is suitable for the presidential slot.

Credibility before tribalism

The bitter truth is that as unimaginable as the Saudi Arabian National Team triumphed against the Copa America champions Argentina today; it will be miraculous to undermine tribalism in the 2023 presidential election. 

All the same, if Nigerians put credibility before ethnicity and tribalism, we will get it right in 2023.