During a conversation with Arise News, the University of Lagos’s renowned expert in strategic studies and international relations, Professor David Aworawo, examined the pervasive problem of ethnicity in Nigerian politics.
His remarks focused on how ethnic biases have a big impact on election results, especially in the 2023 presidential contest.
Aworawo noted that voters’ decisions were heavily influenced by their ethnic allegiance, particularly in Nigeria’s northern areas.
He said, “When you engage them (the Northerners), even the ones in Lagos, they do not even see if Obi is competent or not. If it’s between Igbos and Yoruba. They’re more comfortable with the Yoruba man than the Igbo man, and it’s a problem.”
He emphasized that many voters in the North were reluctant to back Peter Obi, even in spite of his credentials and abilities. He claimed that this was due to strong ethnic differences, with many people in the North preferring the Yoruba man, Bola Tinubu, over an Igbo man, Obi....Read Full Article [Click Here>]
Aworawo stressed that this bias is not specific to any one area or ethnic group, pointing out that Igbos in the eastern part of Nigeria also demonstrated strong ethnic loyalty by overwhelmingly endorsing Obi.
He said, “Didn’t you see the figures for Obi in the East? In fact, he scored higher than any of the other candidates in their area.”
“So ethnicity is a major problem as far as democracy and elections are concerned, and this must be addressed to a large degree before the best can begin to emerge in this country.”
Source: AriseTV
