INCITEMENT AND THE 2023 POLLS 

SEGUN AWOSANYA takes on the growing intolerance of the online supporters of a presidential candidate 

In the past few weeks, there has been a growing attempt to silence voices of reason through cyber bullying, blackmail, character assassination and deployment of threat to life in some cases. Some of the victims of these malicious attacks include Mr Reno Omokri, Pastor Poju Oyemade, Mr Sam Omatseye, Deji Adeyanju, Aare Dele Momodu and most recently Mr Femi Anikulapo Kuti whose family was threatened alongside the promise to set the African Shrine ablaze. 

 Sadly, the Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi keeps riding the wave of these online violence and cyber bullying with inciting words that are mostly semiotics of social standing and cultural posturing (half information and pretentious piety). The Cable quoted him as saying, “We’re going to take back Nigeria and give to the Youth” as though he is not part of the same old system he has chosen to target for harassment. He knows quite clearly that the mob he is leading on are void of independent thoughts and were mostly secession agitators amongst other hate groups that have found a comfortable abode under his negligently chaotic, mendacious and divisive campaign, that disturbs public peace within the online community and may soon degenerate into civil disobedience if the coercion and abuse is not curbed.  

To the extent that Nigeria belongs to us all, no one can give to the youth what already belongs to them. The click bait campaign will not upstage the dominant contenders. Peter Obi must therefore stop raising false hopes and address the real issues. Insults and abuses are no structures and encouraging division must be jettisoned! The well-worn political tactics of promising to give to people what already belongs to them is like picking their pocket and displaying what was stolen from them. This is highly manipulative and justifies the reservations some deep thinkers have about Peter Obi’s campaign (which is mostly implemented by his mob in the form of campaign of calumny against dissent). 

Meanwhile, Nigerians do not need deceivers posing as a solution at this point of our polity! Nigerians are vulnerable now more than ever in yet another quest to solve their leadership crisis and what is substantial is for the candidates to prove to us WHY they should be supported and HOW they will mitigate the critical issues buffeting the development of the nation. On this account the valid criteria for attracting audience would be the presentation of documented manifesto that the people can study and ask crucial questions during the campaign and debates in order to make objective decision in the know.  

There are efforts to deliberately lower the bar and reduce logical national discourse to sentimental rhetoric set to further incite and divide the people along ethnic and religious lines. It usually begins with the coordinated attacks on public figures, especially the ones the people rely on for factual and objective engagement on national issues. The irony here is the fact that other presidential contenders like Prince Adewole Adebayo Esq, the AAC’s Omoyele Sowore and NNPP’s Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, have all remained on topic addressing critical issues. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition PDP and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling APC are not deceiving anybody. None of the supporters of these prominent contenders have gone rogue enough to threaten the unity of Nigeria or the freedom of expression and association of others like some ‘Obidiots’ have chosen to do so brazenly.  

That empathy, responsibility and conscientiousness are all being defenestrated in the political amoral macabre dance is because there are no consequences for political recklessness in Nigeria, despite the rising security vulnerability of our clime. Little wonder then that the aim of most politicians is to usurp power enough to own everything that works across sectors. It explains why politicians own/fund media outfits, so as to control group minds, beliefs and ideas. The same way politicians use public funds to stabilize the financial status of their private firms under the guise of ‘saving it in the business they trust’ and bragging about this fraudulent unethical behaviour during campaign to the cheers of copiously ignorant unfortunate ethnically bigoted souls.  

Majority of Nigerians are susceptible to the entertainment of reality TV shows which is more like a desired bride of the Post-Modernistic age, where people embrace the simulation just to avoid the harshness of reality. DSTV rakes in millions if not more annually with their Big Brother reality TV show. A lot of our youth erroneously believe reality shows, forgetting that they are principally shows, designed for entertainment and profit. This has become a culture because we make heroes of flawed people in our society and create narratives around them as though it were some game, we can vote on. This has been taken into our politics. 

The more uncertain the real world gets the more people long for escape. We often take refuge behind our surrogate lives on social-media, where we can do the impossible virtually to compensate for our failures and uncertainties in reality. It is therefore no surprise that a nasty, flawed, badly behaved Facebook/Twitter/Instagram personality living through daily drama and tragedy will gain more followers on Twitter and Facebook simply because people love flawed (hilarious) fictional characters they can jeer and root for.  

The reality however remains that we all love to watch this play out in other people’s lives than be a part of the drama ourselves. The dichotomy however presents itself when we are confronted with the need to vote political leaders. We somehow cannot seem to make that transition enough to understand clearly that our culture of choosing characters on reality TV shows is confined only to the screens and not in real life. Fundamentally, there are real life consequences for political choices.  Nigeria belongs to all of us and all forms of extremism MUST be shunned along religious and ethnic lines. Identity politics of hate is never a useful approach to lifting any nation out of political doldrums and any individual or political party deploying this clearly should not be encouraged with an engagement at our collective expense.  

The Children are watching and absorbing and it is incumbent on us (custodian of societal behavior and responsible and active citizens) to take seriously the prayer in our National Anthem that pleads for the “God of Creation to direct our noble cause, and guide our leaders right, while helping our youth the truth to know.” Talking at each other, hating on each other and dividing the people along ethnic lines only favour our collective enemy (social injustice). We can put an end to this and focus our attention on building a nation where Peace and Justice shall reign.  

 Awosanya is the CEO of a futuristic Brand, Media, Tech, Research, Business & Strategy Consultancy firm