Membership should consequently be based on a actual commitment to these ideals, alongside every participant willing to subordinate customized interests to the broader interests and objectives of the party.
Political parties are necessary vehicles for the attainment of political power in any democracy. Beyond merely providing platforms for candidates to contest elections, political parties are expected to be built approximately distinctly defined ideologies, principles, ethics, essential values and manifestos that connect alongside their vision for culture.
A party that cannot practise internal democracy will struggle to convince citizens that it can effectively support democratic governance.
These actions do not augur well for the development and consolidation of Nigeria’s democracy. Party recommend must carry members along in decision making, respect internal democratic structures and shape sure that members have appropriate avenues throughout which grievances can be addressed. Political parties must not be operated as the individual possession of one individual or a secondary clique.
The country cannot afford to drift towards a political structure in which important opposition is weakened or a individual party dominates political space excluding productive competition.
Nigeria’s democracy benefits when political parties are resilient sufficient to compete, criticise government policies and present credible alternatives.
There is furthermore a responsibility on governments at the federal and condition levels to produce an environment in which opposition parties can operate freely. Situation institutions and society resources should not be deployed to weaken, destabilise or manipulate opposition parties.
Instead of powerful institutions where decisions are reached across settled structures and internal democratic processes, some parties have increasingly become dominated by powerful individuals whose confidential interests appear to take precedence over the collective interests of members.
Unfortunately, over the years, Nigerian politicians have not merely whittled down the powers and consequence of political parties, but have too hijacked and, in some cases, effectively pocketed the parties they belong to.
Ordinarily, every party component, from a sitting President and governor to an elected legislator and the widespread grassroots associate, ought to conduct political activities in accordance using the constitution, guidelines, manifesto and decisions of the party. What is witnessed in numerous instances, nevertheless, is a condition where a highly placed party or a little category before the terminate of a party unilaterally determines what happens, who receives political appointments, who gets party tickets and, in some cases, who is allowed to exercise influence before the complete of the party.
The consequence is that loyalty to political parties becomes increasingly conditional, whilst individual relationships, political calculations and the pursuit of distinctive interests take centre stage.
Such practices inevitably create frustration and resentment amid party members. When members feel neglected, marginalised or unfairly treated, some choose on to defect to other political parties, whilst others persist during their parties but deliberately labor against them during elections.
This condition is specifically so troubling given that a healthy democracy requires political parties together with identifiable principles and policies throughout which citizens can be aware of what they represent and hold them accountable when they take for granted power.
Political parties in Nigeria are so increasingly being perceived as Distinctive Objective Vehicles (SPVs) for accessing political power, rather than institutions whose members genuinely subscribe to their ideologies and programmes.
Party discipline should not be used as a weapon against perceived enemies during the time that influential members are allowed to violate party rules using impunity.
Members who openly attract in anti- party activities should be sanctioned in accordance including the party constitution and settled rules.
At the same time, political parties must be reasonable to every participant and too be organized to enforce discipline. Such sanctions should be plain, consistently applied and free from selective treatment.
Although political alliances and coalitions are legitimate features of democratic politics, they should be governed by founded party procedures and not become excuses for lone members to undermine candidates formally nominated by their own parties.
Even extra disturbing is the approach whereby some politicians openly task against their own party’s candidates and fund or adopt candidates of other parties in the name of coalition building, even when their parties have not authorised such arrangements.
Tochukwu Obi, Obosi, Anambra Declare
