Atiku, Peter Obi, Tinubu Risk Jail Terms Over Religious, Ethnic-Motivated Campaigns

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the leading candidates in Nigeria’s February 25 presidential election, could face prosecution and potential jail time over their campaign strategies.

According to Premium Times, their campaigns could be in violation of Nigeria’s electoral law, as the candidates might have resorted to divisive strategies such as ethnic, religious, or regional appeals to gain votes.

In April, Peter Obi’s alleged private phone conversation with influential Nigerian pastor David Oyedepo was leaked, in which Obi framed the presidential election as a religious conflict.

Despite repeatedly denying using religious tactics in his campaign, evidence suggests otherwise.

For example, during a 2022 conference at the Revival House of International Church (RHOGIC) in Abuja, Obi urged Nigerians to take back their country, indirectly insinuating dissatisfaction with the current leadership.

Ethnic Allegiances and Political Strategy

In a surprising outburst in June 2022, Tinubu stated it was the turn of the Yoruba, and therefore his turn, to take up the presidency after Muhammadu Buhari.

He said: “If not for me that led the war front, Buhari wouldn’t have emerged; he contested first, second and third times and lost. He cried on television that he won’t contest again. I went to his home in Katsina, I told him you would contest and win, but you won’t joke with the matters of the Yorubas. Since he has emerged, I have not been appointed a Minister; I neither get nor request a contract. This time, it’s Yoruba’s turn and in Yorubaland, it’s my turn.”

At the event, Mr Tinubu alluded to a Robert Ogunde’s song, titled ‘Yoruba Ronu, a 1964 musical orchestra charging the people of the southwest not to politically betray one another. The historical allusion and Mr Tinubu’s outburst appealed to many Yoruba voters who then decided to rally around their tribesman rather than any other politician from another tribe.

On the other hand, speaking in Kaduna, Atiku Abubakar advocated that the northern regions needed a president from the north, indirectly playing the regional card.

He said, “I have traversed the whole of this country.

“I know the whole of this country. I have built bridges across this country. I think what the average northerner needs is somebody who is from the north, who also understands the other parts of Nigeria and who has been able to build bridges across the rest of the country.

“This is what northerners need. He (northerner) doesn’t need a Yoruba candidate or an Igbo candidate. This is what the northerner needs.

“I stand before you as a pan-Nigerian of northern origin.”

Campaign Tactics: Legal Implications and Opposition

Contrary to the defence presented by some, including Pat Utomi, a Labour Party member, campaigning along religious, ethnic, or sectional lines is illegal according to Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2022.

Utomi had said there was nothing wrong with campaigning along religious lines.

In a short interview with the African Independent Television (AIT), he said political parties are sometimes established to appeal to the interests of the people of a certain religion.

He further argued that every politician appeals to religious sentiments, stating that no politician seeking power has not gone to religious leaders for endorsements.

However, violators, if prosecuted, could face substantial fines or imprisonment.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had previously warned against such divisive strategies.

It is yet to be seen if the INEC will follow through and prosecute Atiku, Tinubu, and Obi for their alleged breaches of the Electoral Act during their campaigns.