Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Asiwaju Kunle Kalejaye, has warned Nigerians against allowing recycled political allegations and sensational controversies to dominate public discourse ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Kalejaye, speaking in a commentary on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, drew from the Yoruba expression “egbirin ọtẹ”, describing it as a complex web of intrigues and problems that continues to regenerate even after one issue appears to have been resolved.
He referenced the observation of renowned scholar and author, Professor Toyin Falola, who described Nigeria’s situation as “egbirin ote” — a complex web of problems that keeps evolving and reappearing in different forms.
According to Kalejaye, the Yoruba expression captures a recurring pattern in Nigerian politics where controversies that appear dormant during non-election periods are suddenly revived when political contests draw closer.
He cited issues involving academic certificates, citizenship, foreign assets, corruption allegations and other long-standing controversies, arguing that political actors frequently preserve such dossiers and resurrect them at strategic moments.
Kalejaye said the practice diverts public attention from substantive national issues such as inflation, infrastructure, economic policies, security and electoral reforms.
He argued that political warfare in the digital age increasingly relies on the frequency with which allegations are circulated rather than the accuracy of the claims.
According to him, the recurring controversies surrounding President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar demonstrate how old allegations can become part of an election-time political ritual.
He explained that repeated exposure to an allegation can make it appear more credible to members of the public, even when the claim has been denied, retracted or subjected to institutional scrutiny.
Kalejaye described this phenomenon as the “illusory truth effect,” noting that people can mistake familiarity with a claim for evidence of its truth.
He added that social media platforms have amplified the problem because emotionally charged political content often generates significant engagement.
> “The platform does not seek truth; it seeks to retain attention, turning a cognitive bias into a highly profitable, politically devastating business model,” he said.
The legal practitioner further warned that repeated allegations could deepen political polarisation, with supporters of opposition parties viewing them as confirmation of their beliefs, while supporters of targeted politicians dismiss legitimate questions as politically motivated attacks.
He said undecided voters could ultimately become cynical and mentally exhausted by the continuous recycling of unresolved controversies, potentially leading to voter apathy.
Kalejaye noted that the phenomenon is not peculiar to Nigeria, citing historical examples such as the “Birther” controversy surrounding former United States President Barack Obama, the Clearstream affair in France and the 1924 Zinoviev Letter controversy in the United Kingdom.
He advocated “pre-bunking” and cognitive inoculation as possible ways of helping the public recognise predictable misinformation campaigns before they gain traction.
According to him, Nigerians must learn to distinguish genuine accountability efforts from politically timed attempts to hijack public discourse.
Kalejaye concluded that although political actors and party structures may change, the machinery of manufactured outrage and the strategic use of old allegations often remain the same.
“As long-standing political heavyweights pass the baton or form new alliances for upcoming campaigns, their protégés adopt the exact same playbooks. The actors change and the party acronyms mutate, but the underlying machinery of manufactured outrage and weaponized state institutions functions exactly as it did decades ago,” he said.
