Religion, ethnicity decided presidential, NASS elections - Gbajabiamila

The Speaker said the electorate jettisoned any consideration for quality of candidates and simply voted along religious and ethnic lines, a trend, he noted, led to the defeat of some performing lawmakers.

Gbajabiamila made this known while speaking to members of the House of Representatives Press Corp on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Gbajabiamila's words: “It was a hard-won battle not just for me but for many of our colleagues on the floor (of the House) there…all 360 of us. Many were unlucky. Some were lucky. I used the word ‘lucky’ deliberately because this election was not as it should be; not so much about the performance of members whether on the floor or in their constituencies.

“It was about a lot of other things. It was about religion. It was about ethnicity. It was about so many other things which I hope that as we develop as a nation, one’s election would be based solely, or at least mostly, on his or her performance on the floor and in the constituency. That is why I fought tooth and nail to make sure the Electoral Act adopted strictly the direct mode for primaries because of elections.”

Pulse reports that the 2023 general elections, especially the presidential contest were blighted by religious campaigns as some candidates were accused of using religious rhetorics to divide the electorate.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the eventual winner of the contest was heavily criticised for choosing a Muslim running mate, while Peter Obi of the Labour Party was also condemned by the opposition over his frequent visits to different churches leading up to the election.