KARL POPPER'S CONCEPT OF TOLERANCE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR 2023 APC'S MUSLIM-MUSLIM PRESIDENTIAL TICKET
Ekwueme Francis Okechukwu and Areji Anthony C.
Abstract
The work examines APC'S Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket in the light of Popper's assertion that we should tolerate one another. Karl Popper is an advocate of tolerance, hence; he calls for the abandonment of intolerance. Popper argues that liberal societies should be rational and at the same time engages in open debate, free and fair voting and a system of laws that allow other peoples beliefs without any fear of persecution. Against this background, Popper warned that unlimited tolerance also lead to the disappearance of tolerance. In Nigeria, the need to tolerate one another has suffered serious setbacks as a result of tribal differences and religious fanaticism. The ruling All Progressive Party in Nigeria fielded all Muslim-based faith candidates despite resistance and condemnation by many Nigerians. Contrary to the expectations that only southern Nigerians may resist such political calculation, a large number of Northerners (mainly Christians) opposed the emergence of the Muslim-Muslim ticket because of its implications for tolerance in Nigeria. The purpose of the study is to find out whether APC'S Muslim-Muslim ticket agrees with Popper's concept of tolerance. The issue is how to solve the problem of political and religious intolerance in Nigeria. We argue that the state of ethnic division and security threats with religious colouration in Nigeria only warrant the emergence of the mixed-faith presidential ticket because of tensions raised by the current leadership who is also of the Muslim faith.
Key words:
Tolerance, Muslim-Muslim Faith, Social Engineering, Ethnicity, Religion, Conflict
