Polarisation of Nigeria: A case study of the EndSARS protest of 2020 and the General Elections of 2023

October 2020 marked a watershed in Nigeria's socio-political history. This epochal period was heralded by a series of EndSARS (SARS - Special Anti-Robbery Squad) protests that engulfed the nation in October 2020. The EndSARS protest was a series of unrest by Nigerian youths against the highhandedness of the SARS members, a special unit of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). This movement, even though it was short-lived, can be likened to the Arab Spring, which took place in the Arab world in 2011. The protest, which started as a peaceful protest by unarmed youths degenerated into scenes of attacks on government and private properties, especially the COVID-19 palliatives. To quell this uprising, the Nigerian government used armed officers to disperse the unarmed, leading to the Lekki Massacre. This protest, as we shall be examining it, further polarised the nation. In some quarters, most especially in the southern part of the nation, it was a huge success. Meanwhile, in other quarters, most especially in the northern region of the nation, except for a few selected states like Jos, Kaduna, Benue, and Taraba, it was not a success. In some parts of the northern states, like Kano and Kaduna, including FCT, the youths organised a solidarity movement in support of the government and the Nigerian Police Force. The aftermath of this protest was its impact on the 2023 general elections, most especially the presidential election conducted on February, 25th 2022, which witnessed a large turnout by Nigerian youths during campaigning and voter registration. During this period (before the 2023 election), Nigerian youths were actively engaged on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to enlighten their fellow youths on the INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) timetable for the conduct of the 2023 general elections. This is the election with the most youth participation in the history of the Nigerian election: 76% of newly registered voters were young people, with 40% of them identifying as students (Premium Times, 2023) since the return to democracy in 1999, which saw campaigns along ethnic lines and other factors such as religion (Thisday, 27/3/2023). The study is a documentary study that makes use of qualitative methodology. The qualitative analysis made use of secondary sources such as newspapers, official government reports, articles, etc. While the quantitative analysis made use of data obtained from credible media and government agencies such as INEC, it found that the election advanced the polarisation of Nigeria and advocated for peace and sustainable national integration.