There are concerns over the worrisome dimension, which the campaign for the 2023 presidential election has assumed given the ethnic card being played by some of the candidates and their supporters. Campaigns for the election commenced on September 28, but there is apprehension over divisive, ethnocentric and provocative remarks being made by some of the presidential candidates of the leading political and members of their respective campaign organizations.
Though some sources within the political parties tried to play down on the enormity of such comments, stakeholders who spoke on the issue with New Telegraph were of the view that they fuel division along tribal and religious lines. The stakeholders warned against politics of identity given the danger it portends. Nigeria, they said, cannot afford the backlash associated with such brand of politicking.
The various candidates were admonished to ensure that the trending vituperations and violence-inducing remarks are curbed before they snowball into a large-scale crisis. The stakeholders insisted on issue based campaigns rather than divisive comments at a time there is a lack of bond among the various ethnic nationalities that make up the country. Read full story on pgs 9-11
