DEMOCRACY AND PARTY POLITICS IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES AND
ACHIEVEMENTS
By Aliyu Othman
The development of political parties in Nigeria dates back to
the days of the struggle for political independence in the late
1940s, when the nationalists were at the vanguard of the
formation of political associations in the pre-independence and
post independence periods.
In the pre-independence and the early post independence periods,
political parties in Nigeria were not ideologically based.
Rather, they were regionally based and woven around individual
politicians who they saw as their mentors.
In the last ten years however, parties were registered based on
the exigencies of the time. This was the scenario until 1998;
the need arose for parties that could usher Nigeria into a new
era of democracy after over fifteen years of military rule.
Historically, political parties in Nigeria have developed and
still play a vital role towards the realisation of the
democratic objectives. Indeed, the last fifty years have seen an
evolution of various political parties. From 1991-1993, Nigeria
practiced a two-party system, with the government establishing
the Social Democratic Party-SDP, and National Republican
Convention, NRC. The military government later proscribed the
parties after annulling a presidential election. But Nigeria
returned to multi-party system which saw the country back to
democratic rule in 1999.
The restoration of democratic government in 1999 led to a new
approach to party politics in Nigeria. The procedure for
registering political parties was liberalized, thereby opening
up the political space for mass participation in political
activities in the country.Today, there are more than fifty
registered political parties in Nigeria, even though only a few
of them have been able to win any election. The few political
parties have dominated the political space to the point that
fears are being expressed that the country was drifting towards
a one-party state. Opposition parties are beginning to cross to
the ruling party both at the federal and state levels.
Nigeria, like many other African countries, has had its fair
share of democratic challenges, but it has also recorded some
achievements over the years.
There have already been calls across the country for some
adjustments and improvements on the way political parties are
run and managed, in the years to come. Many have argued that
Nigeria must necessarily adopt new methods that will guarantee
the rights of its citizens to elect leaders of their choice as
provided for in the country’s Constitution.
As Nigeria consolidates its democratic framework and mechanisms,
the political parties need to exemplify a new level of
commitment to the yearnings and aspirations of the people for
more fundamental and sustainable development. For the political
parties themselves, the enduring democratic landscape must
continue to be nurtured through implementation of electoral
manifestos and adherence to constitutional procedures for
effecting changes in leadership positions as well as the
nominations of candidates for elective posts.
These are prerequisites for sustaining and deepening democracy
as could be seen in older and steadier democracies like Britain,
France, India, and the United States of America among others.
With the 2011 general election now in focus in Nigeria, the
world’s attention is once again centered on Africa’s most
populous country. Expectations are high at home and abroad for
Nigeria to do it right. The country’s political parties must
demonstrate that democratic ethos have firmly taken roots. The
2011 elections will be a litmus test and an opportunity to show
the world that it had imbibed good lessons from its previous
challenges.
