Political parties: Time for quality assurance

(but not necessarily development) of the political parties. Political parties are undoubtedly the building blocks of the democratic process. Parties field candidates, expose policies and programmes and set agenda for development and good governance. The quality of liberal democracy which Nigeria also practices is a function of the quality of political parties that drive the […]

(but not necessarily development) of the political parties. Political parties are undoubtedly the building blocks of the democratic process. Parties field candidates, expose policies and programmes and set agenda for development and good governance. The quality of liberal democracy which Nigeria also practices is a function of the quality of political parties that drive the process. In Quantitative terms with close to 63 political parties, Nigeria has the highest number of turnover of Political Parties in Africa!  Nigeria is truly a multi-party democracy. To that extent, Nigeria ranks high in the league of multi-party democracies that parade countries like Britain, South Africa, India, USA and Ghana. From the initially INEC’s favoured regimented three political parties in 1998 (namely AD, APP AND PDP) Nigeria has come of age with scores of political parties.  Thanks to the long dated democratic aspirations of Nigerians for greater expanded democratic space. Herbert Samuel Heelas Macaulay was a Nigerian nationalist, politician, engineer, journalist, and musician born on November 14, 1864 and died in May 7, 1946). Macaulay formed the first Nigerian political party on the June 24, 1923, known as the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP). He actually fell ill doing NCNC party work in Kano in 1946 Macaulay and later died in Lagos after which the  leadership of NCNC went to late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. Since Macaulay, Nigerians have firmed hundreds of political parties. The significance of turnover of parties cannot be overstated. The whole struggle of the Arab masses in recent times centres on the expansion of democratic space which Nigerians have long fought for in abundance.
The critical challenge lies in reinventing our political parties to transform from mere quantity to quality. Macaulay’s first Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) and subsequent NCNC of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe set the agenda of decolonisation and independence as their ideological sign posts. The two parties together with the then regional parties achieved the goal of independence for Nigeria in 1960. Second Republic also paraded five political parties that were ideologically motivated and offered the electorate robust democratic contestation. NPN for housing for all. UPN for free education. GNPP for politics without bitterness, and PRP for people’s redemption. Today with 60 political parties, difference is not clear in terms of programmes and ideas. The recent spate of defections of elected governors and legislators from one party to another further underscores the fact that increasingly parties are no more agenda/ programme setting platforms but ladders for political power and self actualisation of the politicians. The devil is in the details. There are some serving elected officials that have scandalously moved in and out of three political parties in a singular dispensation.

This development has further alienated the electorate and made choice of government based on principles and policies improbable.
As we are moving towards 2015, no matter what the police and State Security Service do, a lot depend on the activities of the political actors. Our politicians must return to politics 101 and do the first thing first; put the people and the nation first. Political actors must get themselves right. Nigeria has the highest number of political parties but the difference between these parties is not clear. Our parties are more in quantity rather than quality. No or little programme of actions and no commitment to ideologies and visions for the country. There is no doubt that in a liberal democracy, the right to freely associate is given. But the abuse of that fundamental right comes to the fore when association is for continence to occupy positions for self not for principle to serve the people that vote. Political parties have sadly become hired vehicles for chieftains to move from pillars to posts in a desperate move to be in office for power and money rather than for service. Defections, shameless carpet crossing and non-issue based statements have become the order of the day. Electorates are increasingly confused as they are made to be in a party in the morning, ask to move to another party in the afternoon and at night defect to another party.

Its time to encourage our politicians to imagine  a LONG WALK (not short cut!) TO DEMOCRACY. It is not correct to overcome lack of internal democracy by jumping into another party and in turn engender fresh internal democracy crisis there. Please let there be disagreements and contestations but let the disagreements be based on issues. Citizens must rise up to demand for accountability not after the elections but even now before the elections. We must vote for issues of developments not just persons of means and money. Here are some of the issues begging for contestations. They include electrification, industrialization, security, jobs/employment – youth employment, decent work, good roads, mass transit – railways, hospitals/clinics, education, improved wages, social security pension issues,  etc. And by the way which party speaks for Nigeria on South Sudan, Central African Republic, among other burning international issues?