Growing political and social tensions in Nigeria are drawing renewed attention after former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad publicly cautioned that the country is drifting into a dangerous atmosphere shaped by rising animosity and increasingly charged religious rhetoric. His comments, posted on X on Wednesday, immediately ignited national debate about whether the country’s political discourse is escalating toward an avoidable crisis.
Ahmad said he is concerned about the direction of conversations surrounding the current government, warning that the tone of some public narratives risks inflaming sentiment. He argued that frustrations tied to Nigeria’s leadership should be channelled through democratic processes rather than amplified in ways that deepen divides. According to him, the rising temperature in public discourse has reached a point where he no longer knows where the trend might lead the country if it continues unchecked.
He stressed that President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the APC did not run their 2023 campaign on religion, saying they did not tour religious institutions preaching fear or attempting to weaponise faith. Instead, he described their ticket as a Yoruba and Kanuri partnership built around political experience and regional balance. Ahmad contrasted this with what he described as a different approach by some of their opponents, accusing them of framing the previous election through a religious lens.
