JayFm Commentary: A Call on Nigerians to Shun Politics of Bitterness, Ethnicity and Religion Ahead of 2023 General Elections

Today’s News Commentary calls on Nigerians to shun politics of bitterness, ethnicity and religion ahead of the 2023 general elections.It is written by Gilbert Joseph from our News and Current Affairs Department

In our societies today ,elections have become fashionable as a means through which many countries across world chose those that will be entrusted with governance responsibilities .

This is particularly so especially in countries that have embraced democracy as a system of government

. In some countries like the United States of America where the democratic system of government have come of age, the process is usually carried out in such a manner that will witness orderliness, respect to the rules of the game ,popular citizens participation and every sense of seriousness to prosecute the project to reflect the will of the people in it’s outcome .

But in less matured Democratic countries like Nigeria,experience has shown that the situation is usually different .

What manifests usually are some primitive phenomena such as violence before, during and after elections, the use of natural fault lines such as religion, ethnicity, region extreme propaganda among others in a bid to win elections into offices.

The situation should not be allowed to continue .

According to the Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, and the United States institute of Peace, there have been at least 1,306 number of deaths related to electoral violence in the country, from 2003 to 2019.

The youths constitute a major part of the violent cases being recorded during elections.

While it is always easy to point the fingers of accusations against politicians for inciting division, deployment of religious and regional tools to win the game, citizens for their part have major roles to play.

A situation where the ruling party in Osun state declined the main opposition party access to the stadium which is public property is a cause for concern and further raises concern about the politics of bitterness in Nigeria’s Democratic practice .

Such attitude and many other political behaviours such as hate speech,intolerant ,violence among others should take the back seat if our democracy is to grow beyond it’s present level

Therefore ,citizens must consciously unite and chart a common front to eliminate these negative attributes associated with elections and democratic practices.

While the youths must avoid giving themselves away to politicians as willing tools, the generality of society needs to come to the consciousness that the long road in the quest for good governance was never achieved through division or primordial considerations , anywhere in history.

If our collective quest for good governance both in Plateau state and the country are to be achieved, then sentiments on the basis of tribe, religion, region, falsehood and propaganda must give way for sincerity and unity of purpose for the right leaders to emerge at national, state and local levels.

The year 2023 presents before our nation, a golden opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and forge a common front as a people.