An Article by Kelly-Daniel Oshiogwemue, 2025 EPLF Fellow
Nigeria’s political landscape is characterized by charismatic leaders, passionate rallies, and soaring election promises across stadiums. However, underneath this vibrant display lies a deeper question that could shape and reshape Nigeria’s democratic future: can internal democracy within political parties unlock Nigeria’s dormant potential? According to Larry Diamond, a political scientist, “democracy is not just about elections; it’s about building institutions that give people a voice in their own governance.” This perspective exposes the contradictions in Nigeria’s democratic practice, where party structures mirror the despotism they publicly oppose. As a matter of fact, Nigeria political parties, especially the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which function through prominent centralization have turned their party primaries into a coronation exercise with candidates handpicked by godfathers in backroom deals. The 2022 APC and PDP presidential primary exemplified this when Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar emerged victorious in their respective parties amid allegations that delegates responded to financial inducements rather than policy platforms. These parties usually demand democratic participation from citizens but deny it to their own members, making mockery of democracy.
Both Germany’s Social Democratic Party and Canada’s Liberal Party demonstrate democracy’s transformative power. Faced with electoral failure in the 2000s, the SDP deepened internal democracy through the introduction of binding member votes and leadership decisions, which led to the party return to power in 2021 under Olaf Scholz. Similarly, the LP deepened internal democracy after devastating losses by opening its leadership contests to all supporters and implemented transparent policy development. The result saw the emergence of Justin Trudeau and his electoral success at the polls. These examples clearly reveal the potency of internal democracy in delivering strategic advantages, not just moral satisfaction. There’s always a price to pay for exclusion as experienced by the PDP when it faced internal crises in 2013-2014. This internal crisis that triggered mass defections including five governors, wasn’t caused by ideological differences but lack of inclusion in decision making. These destructive cycles have seen talented individuals avoiding party politics, knowing that their advancement depends on connections over competence, coronations over competitions. Internal democracy has profound economic implications as it gives parties the opportunity to develop coherent policies and encourage policy debates. Research has shown that countries with robust internal party democracy consistently rank higher on governance indicators, attracting more FDIs and development aid.
Remarkably, Nigeria’s democratic transformation requires just simple reforms: transparent delegate selection, open policy debates and genuine membership participation in candidate selection. These simple reforms with significant dividends will attract young professionals and civil society activists, who are demonstrating the hunger for authentic democratic participation. Nigeria’s extraordinary human capital potential remains partially locked because political parties refused to channel diverse voices into meaningful governance. Although internal democracy may not solve all Nigeria’s challenges, it will unleash the creative energy currently suppressed by authoritarian party structures. Citizens will only invest more deeply in democratic processes when they see their voices matter within parties. True democratic potential starts within the party, not at the ballot!
Note: All of these are our fellow’s thoughts.
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