religious-identity-muslim-muslim-ticket-and-the-2023-poll/

[Tunji Olaopa]

https://punchng.com/religious-identity-muslim-muslim-ticket-and-the-2023-poll/ The fundamental question is how religion became such a substantive issue that determines electoral success. This question is all the more so within the vaunted secularity of the Nigerian state. The secular creed not only separates between state and religion, but also denotes religious beliefs and faith as personal and private. The implication of this is that religious belief must not be taken as having any critical role to play in the public sphere where people’s credentials transcend their faith. My credentials as of, say, a neurosurgeon, should absolutely have nothing to do with my faith. Being a Muslim or Christian does not add to the competence I possess in dealing with the human brain. But of course, we know that Nigeria is not really a secular state. Like ethnicity, successive governments have discovered religion as a divisive mobilising weapon. Once the Federal Government began to subsidise pilgrimages for both Christians and Muslims, religion had escaped the private space into the public for Nigerian politicians, fuelled by those who take religion ever so seriously.

The significance placed on religion flies in the face of the most fundamental issue in party politics—electoral victory. Politicians enter into electoral competitiveness to win elections and gain political power. And in doing that, their most significant calculation has to do with what possible political iterations could get them the positions they covet. Religion is just another variable in the mix which does not always count.

[Emmanuel Udogu]

This view is in sync with Nicolo Machiavili’s dogma “the end justifies the means'' and my dictum the “law of self-interest.” Globally, this is the case because most political actors are driven by their ambitions and quests to acquire power by all means possible. 

However, in much of Africa, the strategies applied, among others, for the acquisition of power are the manipulations of ethnicity and religion because they tend to be efficacious.

Regrettably, “subalterns” are the foot soldiers fighting on behalf of diehard politicos; and, many become victims in their bosses or leaders struggle for power.

Ike Udogu

On Sun, Jul 17, 2022 at 10:54 AM Tunji Olaopa <tolao...@gmail.com> wrote:

https://punchng.com/religious-identity-muslim-muslim-ticket-and-the-2023-poll/ The fundamental question is how religion became such a substantive issue that determines electoral success. This question is all the more so within the vaunted secularity of the Nigerian state. The secular creed not only separates between state and religion, but also denotes religious beliefs and faith as personal and private. The implication of this is that religious belief must not be taken as having any critical role to play in the public sphere where people’s credentials transcend their faith. My credentials as of, say, a neurosurgeon, should absolutely have nothing to do with my faith. Being a Muslim or Christian does not add to the competence I possess in dealing with the human brain. But of course, we know that Nigeria is not really a secular state. Like ethnicity, successive governments have discovered religion as a divisive mobilising weapon. Once the Federal Government began to subsidise pilgrimages for both Christians and Muslims, religion had escaped the private space into the public for Nigerian politicians, fuelled by those who take religion ever so seriously.

The significance placed on religion flies in the face of the most fundamental issue in party politics—electoral victory. Politicians enter into electoral competitiveness to win elections and gain political power. And in doing that, their most significant calculation has to do with what possible political iterations could get them the positions they covet. Religion is just another variable in the mix which does not always count.

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[Oluwatoyin Adepoju]

Does it not always count I'm the Muslim North?

On Sun, Jul 17, 2022, 15:54 Tunji Olaopa <tolao...@gmail.com> wrote:

https://punchng.com/religious-identity-muslim-muslim-ticket-and-the-2023-poll/ The fundamental question is how religion became such a substantive issue that determines electoral success. This question is all the more so within the vaunted secularity of the Nigerian state. The secular creed not only separates between state and religion, but also denotes religious beliefs and faith as personal and private. The implication of this is that religious belief must not be taken as having any critical role to play in the public sphere where people’s credentials transcend their faith. My credentials as of, say, a neurosurgeon, should absolutely have nothing to do with my faith. Being a Muslim or Christian does not add to the competence I possess in dealing with the human brain. But of course, we know that Nigeria is not really a secular state. Like ethnicity, successive governments have discovered religion as a divisive mobilising weapon. Once the Federal Government began to subsidise pilgrimages for both Christians and Muslims, religion had escaped the private space into the public for Nigerian politicians, fuelled by those who take religion ever so seriously.

The significance placed on religion flies in the face of the most fundamental issue in party politics—electoral victory. Politicians enter into electoral competitiveness to win elections and gain political power. And in doing that, their most significant calculation has to do with what possible political iterations could get them the positions they covet. Religion is just another variable in the mix which does not always count.

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[Oluwatoyin Adepoju]

Southern intellectuals seem to be too often afraid to acknowledge certain realities of Nigerian politics which do not fit their own liberal world views.

Why did Atiku backtrack on his condemnation of the mob murder of Deborah by Northern Muslims who accused her of blasphemy?

Beceause the responses to his condemnation from Northern Muslims indicated he was going to lose their votes by that condemnation.

Why did all the other Presidential candidates, to the best of my knowledge, except Pius Anyim who unequivocally condemned the murder, maintain a determined silence on the subject?

For the same reason as Atiku backtracked.

When the decision of who rules your nation is significantly influenced by people who believe in murder in the name of their prophet, you will have cause to be jittery.

Thanks

Toyin