Nigerian writer and social commentator Solomon Buchi has criticised tribalism in Nigeria, arguing that voters should not support political candidates solely because they belong to the same ethnic group. NigerianNews Aggregator
Buchi made the remarks while reacting to a video of a man who said he would vote for a presidential candidate because they were both Yoruba, despite acknowledging concerns about the candidate’s performance.
According to Buchi, voting based purely on ethnicity does not shield anyone from the consequences of poor leadership.
He argued that if a politician makes decisions that negatively affect the country, members of the politician’s ethnic group would also feel the impact.
Buchi further described tribalism as one of the major issues affecting Nigeria, accusing politicians of exploiting ethnic sentiments to divide citizens while they themselves maintain relationships across ethnic lines.
He urged Nigerians to look beyond tribe when choosing political leaders and consider factors such as competence, values, national unity, integration and infrastructural development.
“Your tribe will not exempt you,” Buchi said, stressing that ethnicity represents only one part of a person’s identity and should not be the sole basis for making political decisions.
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