In Ogun State, a rabid campaign against former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s gubernatorial candidate centered around his faith is annoying the former President. Therefore, Obasanjo used a rally platform a few days ago to condemn those who use religious sentiments in political campaigns. He maintained that those who base their political choices on religion alone are ignorant of the diverse nature of the Nigerian people. The former President, who said his only sister is a Muslim, lamented the manner in which religion has become a major factor in Ogun Governorship contest. Ogun State is one of many States in Nigeria with large Muslim and Christian populations, but no Muslim Governor has ever been elected, even though Muslims claim to be in the majority.
Former President Obasanjo’s concerns regarding the widespread use of religion as an instrument of political competition will find many supporters. Already, much of the tension around many of those competing for elective positions is centered around their faith. A substantial platform of the campaign against President Goodluck Jonathan, and the sentiments for a northerner as President is built around the argument being made that Muslims should not and cannot prefer a non-Muslim over a Muslim. General Muhammadu Buhari’s image has also been long dented by his political detractors who portrayed him as a religious bigot. His choice of a running mate in Pastor Bakare is also a major talking point, not just because he leads a Pentecostal Church, but because he was once a Muslim, before he converted to Christianity. In States such as Kaduna and Ogun, the faith of candidates has become the single most important factor in the competitions in which the gubernatorial candidates are involved.
In all cases where a substantial number of people take a political stand on religious grounds for some candidates, others also take a similar stand against them, even if reluctantly. When Christians perceive a hostility or opposition against a candidate only because he is a Christian, they almost instinctively rally around him, giving him a largely undeserved support. The same thing happens when a Muslim candidate is in a similar situation. Rarely are questions asked about the sincerity or piety of the candidate; or whether he will be a good leader to anyone at all. Worst of all, few people question whether the candidates themselves will merely use their faith as a political label to gain support.
Without doubt, the bitter disputes around the PDP’s zoning and rotation principle and President Jonathan’s candidature has made the issue of religion in the current political campaigns even more prominent. There are still people who are making serious efforts to knock together some form of consensus around one single northern candidate who will take on President Jonathan. Many of these people are motivated by the desire to see a Muslim President sworn-in in May 2011. There are also many who will do anything to prevent the emergence of a Muslim as President, in the name of defending the interest of Christians.
Into this dangerous fray now enters a vicious sectarian dimension. A renowned Muslim scholar is being widely reported to have said that a non-Muslim is preferable to a Muslim of another sect he does not lead. This intra-Muslim dimension, which resembles the deep resentment of Pastor Bakare by mainstream northern Christians because of his Pentecostal background, will further entrench the religious and sectarian factor into political campaigns. Religious sects are major sources of political mobilization, and in times of conflicts, they are also major sources of hostility.
Nigerians are a deeply religious people. Many Nigerians would feel more comfortable under the leadership of one of their own, either in belief or ethnic group. But all major religions and the Constitution also enforce the requirements of justice and fairness on leaders, so that irrespective of a leader’s faith, all citizens must be treated equally. So why, we need to ask, do we put such premium on faith, when it is obvious that faith of leaders alone is no guarantee that they will be just and honest? The answer may lie in the sad fact that most of Nigeria’s leaders, Muslims and Christians alike, at all levels, have let their people down, so much that the only thing they can use to get electoral support is their faith. When leaders isolate their religious obligations from temporal obligations, they cannot lead well, or fairly. Needless to say, no corrupt person can be a good leader, whether he is a Muslim or Christian.
The problem for Nigerians is that leaders have failed us so badly that they resort to peddling their faith, not their piety or competence, in order to get us to support them. They do not lead with the fear of God, and they seldom remember that there is a Day of Judgment. If they do not fear God, there is little reason to believe they will fear the electorate. The time has come when the electorate should vote for leaders who will exercise power because it belongs to God, and govern with honesty and sincerity. Their faith alone is insufficient to make them good leaders, and we should not struggle or die fighting for them. If we have to vote for one of our own faith because it is important to us, we should recognize that it is one of the benefits of a democratic system, which gives us the right to choose. We should also recognize that people from other religions are entitled to the same sentiments and the same right. But the God we serve has created our nation in such a way that no one can win a free and fair election on the basis of religion alone. To win, you must have the support of Muslims and Christians, and all ethnic groups.
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