IN CONTEMPORARY Nigeria, one of the most revealing contradictions in national life is not merely the persistence of poverty or underdevelopment, but the striking contrast between elite unity and mass disunity. While ordinary Nigerians remain divided along ethnic, religious, and regional lines, the country’s political and economic elites consistently demonstrate remarkable solidarity whenever their collective interests are threatened. This imbalance continues to shape Nigeria’s political culture, economic structure, and democratic experience in May 2026.
Across party lines and sectional identities, Nigeria’s political elite have mastered the art of strategic cooperation. Political rivalries that appear fierce in public often disappear behind closed doors when issues of power, privilege, and access to state resources arise. Politicians frequently defect from one political party to another without ideological conviction, proving that loyalty is often tied more to opportunity than principle. Alliances are built and dissolved with ease, not for national transformation, but for the preservation of elite interests.
The question, therefore, is not whether unity is possible in Nigeria, but why it is selectively practiced. Elite unity is deliberate, strategic, and sustained because it serves concrete political and economic interests. Mass disunity, however, is continuously manufactured and reinforced through identity politics, divisive rhetoric, misinformation, and manipulation by those who benefit from a fragmented population.
In today’s Nigeria, political competition has increasingly become less about ideology and more about access to office. Candidates within ruling parties struggle desperately to maintain their positions, while opposition figures fight aggressively to unseat them—not necessarily because of fundamental policy differences, but because political office remains one of the fastest routes to influence, wealth, and relevance. The contest is often driven by personal ambition rather than competing visions for national development.
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This reality becomes even more obvious during party primaries. Politicians who fail to secure tickets within their parties frequently defect immediately to rival parties in search of another opportunity to contest elections. A candidate may condemn a political party today and join it tomorrow if it guarantees electoral advantage. In many cases, there is little consistency in political belief, philosophy, or principle. What matters most is securing a political seat at all costs.
As a result, Nigerian politics increasingly operates without strong ideological foundations. Political parties that should ordinarily represent distinct economic or social visions often appear indistinguishable in practice. Defections are celebrated as “strategic moves,” while political survival takes precedence over public service. The struggle for power becomes personalized, transactional, and self-serving rather than policy-driven.
Ironically, while the elite cooperate strategically to protect their interests, ordinary Nigerians continue to engage in bitter divisions over the same politicians who often reconcile after elections. Supporters defend political figures with ethnic and religious passion, yet the politicians themselves easily switch alliances whenever it becomes politically convenient. The masses fight emotionally, while the elite negotiate rationally in pursuit of shared benefits.
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The same pattern is evident within Nigeria’s economic elite and bourgeois class. Major business figures, corporate executives, contractors, and investors cooperate across ethnic and religious boundaries with little difficulty. In boardrooms and financial networks, sectional divisions are secondary to economic interest. Capital accumulation, market dominance, and access to state patronage override tribal or religious sentiment.
This class solidarity has enabled the elite to maintain influence over critical sectors of the economy while shaping policies that protect wealth concentration and elite privilege. Economic decisions that burden ordinary citizens—such as subsidy removals, inflationary policies, or unfavorable taxation structures—often emerge from consensus among political and economic power holders who remain insulated from the harsh realities faced by the masses.
Nigeria’s greatest challenge, therefore, is not diversity itself but the persistent disunity at the grassroots level. Diversity should be a source of strength, innovation, and cultural richness. Unfortunately, it has often been manipulated into an instrument of division by those who profit from social fragmentation.
In sharp contrast, ordinary Nigerians—workers, farmers, traders, artisans, students, and the unemployed—remain deeply fragmented despite sharing similar struggles. Citizens facing the same economic hardship are frequently divided by ethnicity, religion, political loyalty, or regional identity. Elections are rarely contested on the basis of policy or ideology; instead, they are often framed through ethnic and religious narratives that deepen social divisions.
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As a result, many Nigerians view fellow citizens not as partners in a shared struggle for justice and development, but as competitors from rival groups. This fragmentation weakens collective bargaining power, undermines labor movements, and reduces the ability of citizens to demand accountability from those in power.
The question, therefore, is not whether unity is possible in Nigeria, but why it is selectively practiced. Elite unity is deliberate, strategic, and sustained because it serves concrete political and economic interests. Mass disunity, however, is continuously manufactured and reinforced through identity politics, divisive rhetoric, misinformation, and manipulation by those who benefit from a fragmented population.
When citizens are consumed by ethnic suspicion and religious hostility, public attention is diverted away from governance failures, corruption, unemployment, insecurity, and widening inequality. Division becomes a political tool. A divided population is easier to govern, easier to manipulate, and less capable of resisting exploitation.
History and political economy demonstrate that no ruling class sustains dominance without ensuring divisions among the lower classes. Fragmentation among the masses weakens social movements, discourages collective action, and limits pressure for structural reform. As long as citizens remain divided against one another, the elite face minimal resistance in determining national outcomes.
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Yet, despite these challenges, unity among ordinary Nigerians remains both possible and necessary. The realities of inflation, unemployment, insecurity, poor healthcare, collapsing educational standards, and economic hardship cut across all ethnic and religious identities. Hunger does not discriminate between North and South, Muslim and Christian, or majority and minority groups. These shared experiences provide a strong foundation for national solidarity.
When citizens organize beyond narrow identities, they become capable of demanding accountable leadership, transparent governance, fair economic policies, quality public services, and inclusive national development. Genuine democracy can only thrive when ordinary people recognize their shared interests and collectively defend them.
True national progress will not emerge solely from elite consensus; it must be driven by popular unity and civic consciousness. A society in which the masses are united possesses the capacity to compel leaders to govern responsibly and equitably. Without such unity, democracy risks becoming hollow, while development remains uneven and exclusionary.
Nigeria’s greatest challenge, therefore, is not diversity itself but the persistent disunity at the grassroots level. Diversity should be a source of strength, innovation, and cultural richness. Unfortunately, it has often been manipulated into an instrument of division by those who profit from social fragmentation.
While the elite clearly understand the power of collective interest, ordinary citizens are yet to fully harness that same power for national transformation. For Nigeria to move forward meaningfully in 2026 and beyond, the masses must realize that unity is not merely a slogan—it is a strategy for survival, justice, and development.
Only when those at the bottom unite with shared purpose and political consciousness can the imbalance of power be corrected and genuine national progress achieved.
Comrade Danlami popularly known as Baba Lawan writes from Haliru Umar Street, Dorayi Karamar Unguwar Yamma, Gwale LGA, Kano State, Nigeria. He can be reached via email: lawanmusa363@gmail.com
