A young Nigerian man’s declaration that he would vote for President Bola Tinubu simply because they are both Yoruba has reignited one of Nigeria’s most uncomfortable political debates: how much should ethnicity influence the way Nigerians choose their leaders?
In the viral video, the man acknowledges that Peter Obi could perform well as president but says that would not change his decision.
“Peter Obi will do well as Nigeria’s president but because I am a Yoruba, I will still vote for Tinubu. I can’t betray my part. Peter will do well but I will not vote for him. I’m a Yoruba, I have to vote for Yoruba for a better country.”
The statement has attracted criticism, including from commentator Solomon Buchi, who challenged the logic of choosing a political candidate primarily because of shared ethnicity.
But there is an uncomfortable reality behind the outrage: this is not an isolated Nigerian phenomenon. Ethnic and regional identity played a significant role in the 2023 presidential election. Analysts have documented how the ethnic identities of the major candidates, Tinubu, Obi and Atiku Abubakar, shaped voting patterns and political mobilization.
Research published in 2026 also argues that ethnic and religious ties remain important to Nigerian voter mobilisation, reinforced by political messaging and expectations around access to state power.
So is it really possible for Nigeria to eliminate ethnic voting before 2027? Probably not. People naturally have identities that influence their political thinking. The problem begins when identity becomes more important than performance.
The man’s statement is particularly revealing because he effectively says that Obi could be a good president but that fact is irrelevant to his vote. That creates a difficult question: if a politician performs badly but shares your ethnicity, does loyalty still require supporting them?
And the same question should be asked across every Nigerian ethnic group. If a Yoruba voter supports a Yoruba candidate regardless of performance, an Igbo voter does the same for an Igbo candidate and a Hausa or Fulani voter follows the same logic, elections risk becoming competitions between ethnic blocs rather than assessments of competing ideas.
That does not mean Nigerians should pretend ethnicity doesn’t matter. It clearly does. But 2027 will test whether voters can put identity alongside competence, character, policies and results, rather than above them.
The bigger danger is that politicians know identity works. If candidates can secure votes simply by telling voters “I am one of you,” they have less incentive to convince citizens that they can actually govern better. And that may be the real lesson from this viral video.
The problem isn’t that one Nigerian wants to vote for someone from his ethnic group. The problem is saying the candidate’s ability to govern doesn’t matter once ethnicity has made the decision.
