Factionalism And Politics In Nigeria By Lanre Etti Jr.
If we think corruption is the only ‘unifying’ factor in Nigeria, we should have a rethink, because Nigerians have appetite for another thing in common which is factionalism. According to the Oxford dictionary, Faction is a group or clique within a larger group, party, government or organization. Nigerians have now developed habit for factions in almost every sphere, and it mostly happens in the political circle. In fact, I have noticed this anomaly for a while, but for the split that happened recently to the ‘mighty’ People’s Democratic Party during their mini convention, where 7 Governors and some political heavy weights of the party, left the venue to set up ‘The New PDP’ at the Sheu Musa Yar’Adua Centre. Going by the popular dictum, ‘united we stand, divided we fall’. Undoubtedly, no group of people can achieve anything significant without unity, particularly in politics, as political party implies the coming together of a group of people that share the same passion...