The 2023 General Elections and the Rebirth of Ethno-religious Politics in Nigeria: Issues and Way Forward

Abstract

The 2023 general election was conducted between February 25th, 2023, and March 18th, 2023 on the backdrop of a heavily contested and chaotic political atmosphere. It will be no gainsaying to say that the 2023 general election was one of the most fiercely contested elections since the return to democracy in 1999. The heat wave that greeted the political landscape of Nigeria from the pre-election period up until the winner was declared seemed to have reopened old wounds of ethnic bigotry and religious hatred. The major culprits were religious leaders and traditional rulers who released their platforms for the dissemination and peddling of political vendettas. It is on this note, that this chapter took a cursory look into the socio-cultural and religious underpinnings of the adversarial nature of the 2023 general election, the breeding ground for ethno-religious and hateful campaigns, the immediate and likely future consequences of ethno-religious politicking on the political system and what is needed to be done to tame the monster of ethno-religious politics. From the findings of the study, it is suggested that a holistic pragmatic, and unified approach must be taken by both the government and non-governmental institutions to ensure a healthy and safe political atmosphere for future elections.