Political Power Secession as a Cause of Civil War in Maxwell Nkem Nwagboso’s the Road to Damnation

This paper aims at examining critically political power secession as a cause of civil war through the lens of Maxwell Nkem Nwagboso’s The Road to Damnation. Political power secession generally occurs in a country when there is a misunderstanding among politicians from the different regions of the country. This misunderstanding can lead to civil war, which inevitably has incommensurable consequences. This study therefore aims to pinpoint the ins and outs of the phenomenon. I employed the qualitative research methodology for this study. This approach has enabled me to identify relevant information and data through documentary research. I collected relevant data from the internet and the library to conduct this study efficiently. The literary theories employed are New Historicism and Psychological criticism. New Historicism is a literary theory that considers texts not only as a reflection of the culture that produced them, but also as a means by which that culture is produced, playing an active role in the social and political conflicts of an era. Psychological criticism primarily treats a literary work as an expression of the author’s personality, state of mind, feelings, and desires. This study concludes that civil war is a destructive phenomenon that must be avoided at all costs.