Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has alleged that the 2023 elections divided Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines.
He stated it would not be easy for the North to have any political benefit unless Northerners put their tribal and religious differences aside and embraced unity.
Babachir stated this during a recent interview with the BBC Hausa Service. He said the division got so deep to the extent that people were now on their own and suspicious of one another.
He said: “Now in the North, things have deteriorated completely. Those who dragged us into this situation, could not achieve their goal.
“We’ve returned to the previous days, the Yoruba are on their own. The Igbo are on their own and we Northerners are divided between Christians and Muslims. Even among us Christians, there are tribes, maybe the Tiv are here, and Idoma and Kilba are there. There is Michika here. This is what we’ve been trying to avoid. We’ve been divided, how are we now going to achieve unity? It’s not possible now.
“How can we come together when we have slaughtered our own and now we want to stitch it together? No way.
“Who is there now in the North that can call for a meeting of elders from the region, to deliberate and unite? There is none. I can see some groups were trying to meet and unite, but you will find that they are mainly a group of Muslims or a group of Christians.”
