Incumbency Factor, Internal Party Democracy and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria's Fourth Republic (original) (raw)
Related papers
Internal Party Democracy and the Imperative of Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic
The Nigerian Journal of Sociology and Anthropology
Parties are regarded as sine qua non for the organization of modern democracies, as well as for democratic consolidation. The literature that explains Nigeria’s democracy since 1999 depicts infractions and instability in party politics. It is in this context that this paper maintains that the major threat to democratic consolidation in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic is the absent of Internal Party Democracy (IPD). The inability of political parties to manage their internal fuss usually results in cases of defections, which portends negative consequences for democratic consolidation in Nigeria. The paper explains and provides some internal governing structures for political parties as offered by Simba. Consequently, the study historically gave an illustration of political parties in the previous republics by showing how they were bereft of internal party democracy. The paper finally calls for an urgent alternative to this kind of party politics, while the current practice should be jettis...
2019
The study interrogates the interface between internal party democracy, party institutionalization and democratic consolidation in Nigeria's Fourth Republic. It is a conceptual and qualitative study which employed primary and secondary data collection procedures. The data were analysed thematically. The study contends that since Nigeria's return to democratic rule on May 29, 1999, political parties have not been able to contribute meaningfully to democratic consolidation. Using two leading Fourth Republic political parties, the People Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as case studies, the study posits that the inability of the parties to make a positive impact in consolidating the country's democracy is informed by their level of institutionalization which have been undermined by the dearth of internal party democracy. This has manifested in the dysfunctional ways in which they evolve, their inherent lack of unity and focus, involvement in ele...
Effects of Internal democracy of APC on Nigeria's democratic consolidation , 2017
The internal politics of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has held democracy in Nigeria on the jugular. This study, effects of internal party democracy of the APC on Nigeria's democratic consolidation focused on how the ruling party since capturing of state power, has been able to consolidate democracy in Nigeria. Without doubt, democratic practice in Nigeria since the inception of the Fourth Republic (1999-date) has remained unstable, most often due to lack of internal party democracy, use of thugs during elections, disobedience to court rulings and method of candidate selection for elections by political parties. This study critically examined the activities of the APC and the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria. It employed qualitative methods of data collection, analysis and interpretation of data from documentary evidence of secondary sources. The Marxian theory of post-colonial state was adopted; to argue, that the method of candidate selection in the APC to large extent, shows a lack of internal party democracy, and the APC-led government seems to be moving towards a fascist party owing to its constant disobedience to court rulings. The article concludes with some recommendations based on the analysis that the party should pay more attention to the selection of candidates for elections as well as go back to the drawing board to establish a leadership command structure as well as spell out disciplinary actions against erring members.. 2
Party Politics and the Challenges of Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria
The study examined the factors that determined the emergence of party's candidates and the impacts of party's lack of internal democracy on democratic consolidation in Nigeria. These were with a view to examining party politics and the challenge of democratic consolidation in Nigeria. This area of political process has be a clog on the wheel of democratic consolidation in Nigeria since independence, 1960. Most research studies emphasize theories of democracy and political party and with little attention on party politics (intra-politics) and vis-à-vis democratic consolidation in Nigeria. However, the findings of the study showed that 95% of respondents agreed that money and class were the major factors that undermined or determined the position of candidates in Nigerian election, while 90% of respondents also agreed that the power of incumbency and godfatherism greatly determined the emergence of party's candidates. Almost 90% of respondents agreed that tribalism, ethnicity, nepotism and sectionalism were major factors that have caused party's lack of internal democracy in Nigeria. The study concluded that party politics in the area of nomination, selection and elections have negative implications on democratic consolidation in Nigeria. Among other things, the study also concluded that lack of internal democracy within political parties as a limiting factor in Nigeria's attempt to deepen democracy.
AN ASSESSMENT OF POLITICAL PARTIES AND DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION IN NIGERIA'S FOURTH REPUBLIC
Democratic values and practices are crucial for democratic institutionalization and the development of party strength. However, the history of Nigeria's democratic experiments demonstrates that elections and electoral politics have generated so much animosity which has, in some cases, threatened the corporate existence of the country. In this essay, the critical nature of Nigerian political parties in the Fourth Republic will be explored to ascertain their contributions to the achievement of democratic consolidation in the country. Based on empirical evidence gathered from the activities of political parties of this dispensation, the essay attempts to provide answers to questions like: what specific contributions have political parties in Nigeria made towards the achievement of a lasting democracy? Is democratic competition (a major tenet of democratic consolidation) at play in Nigeria? What factors must be injected into the current practice to make it a system that will engender a permanent, stable democratic order for the Nigerian State?
POLITICAL PARTIES AND CONSOLIDATION OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA
Elite Project Writers, 2021
The problems of political parties in the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria has been of serious concern. In the course of carrying out the research some fundamental objectives were examined, such as: The role effectiveness of political parties in Nigeria, impacts of political parties in consolidating Nigeria democratic system and ways political parties can consolidate the democratic system. From the following, the study used primary and secondary sources of data collection and simple percentage was used for data analysis. Furthermore, the findings revealed that political parties are seriously engaged in political recruitment, political education, and interest aggregation for the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria amongst others. Finally, the study recommended amongst others: that electoral violence should be avoided as it is against the norms and values of Nigeria democratic system. Keywords: Political Parties, Consolidation and Democracy
Political Parties and Democratic Consolidation: The Nigerian Experience
This paper examines the roles of political parties in democracy and democratization, with focus on how the existing political parties have assisted in democratic consolidation in Nigeria since 1999. Political parties are the engine room of democratic societies and without them, there will be no genuine democracy. Hence, Schattchneider (1942), revealed the importance of political parties when he stated that " modern democracy is unthinkable save in terms of political parties ". Indeed, the existence of vibrant political parties is a sine qua non for democratic consolidation. Therefore, it is not just the existence of political parties themselves per se, but the existence of vibrant ones in the polity. The degree of democratic consolidation in a country depends largely on the character and conduct of the country's political parties. The paper adopts Schedler's democratic consolidation theory and Arthur Fisher Bentley's group theory as tools of analysis, while also accessing data through the review of relevant literature: books, journals, magazines, articles, newspapers, and the internet. Data gathered are analyzed via content analysis. The paper observes among others, that Nigerian political parties, which have grown from a mere two in the 3 rd Republic to forty registered parties today, have not scored high in terms of democratic consolidation when placed side by side other countries heading towards stable democracy. This, is observed, is often due to factors such as; opposition parties are rarely alive to perform their political responsibilities, most of them are only but fragile entities, hence have only developed shallow roots in the society. Furthermore, incessant fragmentation/division within the ruling parties and opposition parties, the un-institutionalized nature of most political parties in Nigeria, to mention a few, pose a major drawback to democratic consolidation. Finally, the paper suggests among others that an overhaul of Nigerian political parties is inevitable.
Nigerian political parties in the present republic are hampered by crisis of internal democracy thus undermining their political leadership recruitment function. The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a good example of one of these Nigerian political parties that lacks internal democracy. The study, by relying on the theory of relative autonomy of the state and secondary sources, concludes that the PDP authoritarianism deepens crisis of internal democracy in Nigeria and that this authoritarian character of the ruling PDP is a reflection of the authoritarian character of the Nigerian state. The implication being that this lack of internal party democracy in Nigerian political parties generally undermines the credibility of the entire electoral process thereby making the entire process undemocratic. The study is essentially qualitative, historical and inductive.
POLITICAL PARTIES AND ELECTIONS AS FRAMEWORKS FOR DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION IN NIGERIA: AN ASSESSMENT
Political Parties and Elections as Frameworks for Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria: An Assessment., 2018
Political parties and elections are very integral parts of democracy, especially the western form that is being practiced in Nigeria. They form the platforms through which the citizens are made to actively participate in the affairs of the state. This worldwide trend known as democratization has made the issue of election a crucial political imperative. This study examines the relationship between politicians and challenges of conducting free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria with particular reference to the recent elections that were held in the country. The elite theory as put forward by Pareto, Michel and Mosca was adopted for empirical appraisal since the formation of political parties and electoral conducts are purely the dictates of the elites in Nigeria. Materials for the paper were majorly sourced through secondary means. The study shows that the manipulations, subjugations and alterations being witnessed in the country's political system are serious threats to her democratic journey. Democratic ethos must begin within the individual political party in Nigeria before it can translate into the country's national elections. The conclusion of the study is that both political party and elections are frameworks that have the capacity to consolidate or crucify the any nation's democracy depending on their operationality. Part of the recommendations of the study is that the ethos of democracy must be adhered to at both party and general elections. More so, the media should be unbiased in the coverage of elections and party affairs, and there is need to ensure that people of chaste characters are appointed to manage the country's electoral system.
THE CHALLENGES OF DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION IN NIGERIA'S FOURTH REPUBLIC
The new democratic dispensation in Nigeria was launched again in 1999 leading to the emergence of the fourth republic. This came after a long time of despotic military rule in the country. Democracy was highly embraced by all with expected hope that it will deliver good dividends and socioeconomic development. But not far into the fourth republic, the body polity became overheated by lots of challenges namely: corruption, electoral abnormalities, the politics of godfatherism, incessant poverty reinforced by mass unemployment, security question etc. These challenges are strongly affecting democratic stability and consolidation. The analysis of the above challenges is the mainstream of this paper.