Stakeholders Urge Political Parties to Operate with Clear Ideology
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Stakeholders have called on political parties in the country to operate on clear ideologies rather than being mere platforms for power struggles.
They pointed out that frequent internal crises within parties often lead to defections and electoral instability.
This call was made yesterday, at the Sub national Strengthening Democracy Conference held in Kano State, a follow-up to the national-level initiative in Abuja with the theme: ‘Strengthening Nigeria Democracy – Pathways to Good Governance and Political Integrity’.
The conference was organised by Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) African Centre For Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD).
The conference brought together diverse stakeholders from academia, political parties, civil society organisations, traditional leaders, and governance experts to assess democratic progress and propose actionable reforms, at subnational level.
The Director of Strategy at the African Centre For Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Itia Otabor, called for the strengthening of institutions that protect democratic practices and for reforms in Nigeria’s political party system.
He said, “For democracy to thrive, institutions like the judiciary, electoral bodies, and anti-corruption agencies must be strengthened to function independently and effectively.
“Likewise, political parties must operate on clear ideologies rather than being mere platforms for power struggles.
“Many parties in Nigeria lack strong internal democratic structures. Candidate selection processes are flawed, and party discipline is weak.
“If we must strengthen democracy, our parties must be well-organised and ideologically driven.”
In her part, a social justice advocate, Prof. Rabia Sa’id of Bayero University, Kano, said for Nigeria’s democracy to be truly participatory and accountable, internal party democracy must be reformed.
She also said voter participation must be encouraged, and citizen-led oversight functions must be strengthened.
The keynote speaker, Abdullahi Sule, noted that major challenges in Nigeria’s democracy include unempowered citizens, weak institutions, and lack of internal internal democracy in political parties, among others
He pointed out that without strong democratic structures at the state and local government levels, national democratic progress would remain fragile.
Sule, who is the Director Programme at the Youth and Environmental Development Association (YEDA), called for improved transparency in governance, stronger legislative oversight, and mechanisms to enhance public accountability at all levels.
He stressed the need for the judicial service commission and legislative service commission, both at the federal and state levels to be autonomous especially appointments and financing.
He also proposed for local government elections to be conducted by INEC rather than State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), adding that joint accounts between state and local government be abolished.
