International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue II, February 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Ethnic Politics and Nigerian Democracy: The Way Forward

Martins Ekunke Eniemeh, Prof. Sale Y. Ibrahim
University of Maiduguri, Department of Public Administration, Bama Road, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract: Ethnic politics in Nigeria’s political system have come to be a tragic and constant in Nigeria’s political system; where one must belong to the mainstream of ethnic politics for political relevance. Without any form of prejudice, it is a fact that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic state with differences in its socio-political and economic development all of which have resulted in conflicts and counter conflicts. It depicts attachments to the sub-national ethnic groups which threaten to undermine national integration and therefore divide the nation. Significantly, ethnicity in Nigeria was orchestrated by a long period of colonialism, a period which witnessed the ascendancy of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria to the socio-political domination of other ethnic groups. It was a period when the three major ethnic groups were used by the colonialist as a pedestal for the distribution of socio-political and economic goods. Using a mixed method, this work argues that Nigeria’s political problem hinges on the negative consequences of ethnic politics. The paper concludes that if Nigeria’s political system must progress, it must be anchored on the need for the review of the constitutional and political structure of Nigeria to restore healthy political competition as opposed to the existing outdated political mechanism imposed on Nigeria by the military under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Keywords: Ethnic politics, Democracy, Nationalism, Ethnic loyalty.

I. INTRODUCTION

The phrase “ethnic politics” refers to a situation in which politicians tend to mobilize support on the basis of an appeal to ethnic identity and people tend to support leaders from the same ethnic group. Ethnic politics is often regarded as a problem when different groups come to see each other as competitors for power and when members believe that they will be excluded from the benefits of state assistance and protection if “one of their own” is not in power. The reason is that such politics often promotes interethnic tension and violence, leading many to argue that ethnic politics needs to be eradicated or managed through tailored institutional arrangements.
If you are born in Nigeria, grow up and trained to become an engineer, lawyer, doctor or a teacher and probably die rich; you remain a Nigerian. But within the context of ethnicity; as long as you remain a Nigerian your political affiliation notwithstanding, your ethnic group is fixed. To Chandra (2012) everyone belongs to one ethnic group, the membership of each group remains for a long period of time, and as it is passed down from generation to generation, along the line there may be war, economic crisis but the fact is ethnic groups does not change. Without the consent and consensus of