Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has accused the nation’s political class of “preying” on the divisions in Nigeria’s diverse society to reap political benefits.

“Nigeria has over 300 languages across geopolitical zones which can be turned one way or another by political actors to drive one form of political benefit or the other,” Mr Obaseki said.

His views were contained in a lecture titled, “Making Politics Work For Citizens And Development: The Edo State Experience”, delivered at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos.

The governor decried that frequently, politicians, rather than consider issues of national interest, incite ethnic and religious tensions among Nigerians when seeking power.

Mr Obaseki said that such sentiments usually “con” the unsuspecting electorate into giving politicians their support “without rationally evaluating the developmental benefits accruable”.

“In many cases, rather than emphasise important issues of our common national patrimony while assessing and selecting leaders, many political actors try to throw up dichotomies based on tribe, religious learning, state of origin, among others,” he said.

The governor further stated that politics in Nigeria has not been able to prioritise nationalism over primordial ethnic, religious and regional sentiments.

(NAN)