The aim of this introductory chapter is not only to discuss the concept. Pdp says no plan to merge with another party the guardian. The first major political assassinations after independence came with the 1966 coup and the execution of prime minister balewa, along with premiers ahmadu bello and samuel akintola and finance minister festius okotie eboh. The top three political parties at the moment still remains all progressive congress apc, peoples democratic party pdp, and all progressives grand alliance apga. There are political parties that havent produced even a councillor, those kind shouldnt be existing. Frankly speaking i dont see much advantage in a two party system, i sense it is much likely to add to our problem rather than solve to it. But even in these countries, small parties still exist. To find out the relationship between multiparty system and political development in nigeria. Notably, party crises have remained common features of politics in the country. I support anything that will promote democracy in the country. After the british government assumed direct control of the royal niger companys territories, the northern areas were renamed the protectorate of northern nigeria, and the land in the niger delta and along the lower reaches of the river was added to the niger coast protectorate, which was renamed the protectorate of southern nigeria.
Full list of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. A contextual analysis of party system formation in nigeria. The first political party in nigeria, omotola, 2009. Multiparty system and the nigerian factor in a democratic environment. Democratic governance, nigeria, party system, political practices, good governance. An analysis grace malachi brown, phd department of history and diplomatic studies faculty of humanities rivers state university of education pmb 5047, rumuolumeni port harcourt, rivers state nigeria. Nigeria s four main opposition parties have merged to challenge president goodluck jonathan in the. Congress apc in 20 ahead of 2015 election reenacted an already existing trend in nigerian politics referred to as politics of merger of political parties. Nigeria, although among the various types of part y systems, the dominant party system in nig eria is multipart y system.
We need a 2 party system in nigeria just like the time of the sdp and nrc. Review of international assistance to political party and party system. Qualitative method was used in this study to collect data from existing literature. The development of political parties in nigeria dates back to the days of the struggle for political independent in the late 1940s, when the nationalists were at the preindependence and postindependence periods. Ever since this merger, the polity has been characterized by ethnoreligious politics which has being the bane to national unity. So what is my justification for holding this conviction. Let me reiterate my resolve as a nigerian to the unity and indivisibility of our dear nation, which our founding. For me, that the merger will not be good for our democracy.
What are the political implications of multi party system in nigeria. Nigeria was to witness the emergence of a two party system in the 1964 general elections. Effective political parties promote citizen confidence in, and support of, democratic government. History of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. Middle belt congress 1955, formed through the merger. Party system and nigerian project topics for student.
Aside discussing the political parties in nigeria, this write up will equally discuss about the political history of nigeria. Feb 01, 2014 i will be speaking in defence of the submission. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. No merger applications by political parties yet the. Political party and party system support in nigeria is unfolding in a climate of. But given the state of disunity in the country, a twoparty system or threeparty system is not exactly the best for nigeria. When in power, they seek to implement their vision. Nigeria is a federal republic, with executive power exercised by the. In the case where you understand a party system to be that overarching organization by which a countrys politics is done through the entrenched, rulebased, and systematic flows of the party machinery, then nigeria does not yet run a party. The all progressives congress apc is a political party in nigeria, formed on 6 february 20 in anticipation of the 2015 elections. Under the multiparty system in this country, the election results have shown neither the victory for a particular political ideology nor the preference for a particular economic philosophy. Multiparty system and the nigerian factor in a democratic. A contextual analysis of party system formation in nigeria, 19602011 article pdf available december 20 with 1,144 reads how we measure reads.
Does multi party system ensure democratic consolidation in nigeria. Such a parliamentary system prevails in canada and great britain, in which there are two parties holding the maximum numbers of seats. Whichever of these two statements one agrees with hinges on the definition of a party system. Nigerias political system and the people vanguard news. Lack of internal democracy in nigeria political parties all. The dissolution of a number of political parties in nigeria into one party the all progressive congress apc in 20 ahead of 2015 election reenacted an already existing trend in nigerian politics referred to as politics of merger of political parties. This study critically looks into group theory in relation to party system, multi party systems and democratic consolidation in nigeria, pointing out the peculiar problems it faces in the fourth republic. If we want to add more, they are not more than 4 or 5, sdp, labour, apga and prp. Since 1999 up till the conduct of the 2015 general elections, nigerias party politics has exhibited the near dominance of the political space by the then ruling. The authors of these chapters will seek to identify the underlying mechanisms of enduring one party dominance as well as those mechanisms that move a party system away from one party dominance. As per the constitution the political hierarchy in nigeria must be bound together by a federal arrangement that includes different levels of government. Image caption former anticorruption chief nuhu ribadus party is part of the new coalition. May 08, 2015 home columns my laymans view multiparty system and the nigerian factor in a democratic environment.
Wherever party leaders are committed to a democratic political system and seek ndis counsel, ndi will work with them on an inclusive, multi party basis to strengthen individual parties and to help establish a competitive party system. It is recommended that issues of organizational capacity, effective leadership, internal democracy, discipline, institutionalization and personalization, ideological. Get the latest news and analysis of issues from nigeria, africa and around the world, direct into your inbox, daily. The 1999 constitution provides for a bicameral national assembly consisting of a 360member house of representatives the green chamber. In opposition, they critique or present alternatives to ruling party proposals, helping to hold the. A lot of people have been elected into political offices which will not have been possible if we have only two political parties. From failed opposition electoral alliance to merger. Incumbent president goodluck jonathan conceded defeat on 31 march. May 23, 2010 basically the countries that are known to be operating a twoparty system are united states of america, japan, jamacai, hundaras and to a large extent, united kingdom, great britain. Party system and nigeria political development projectclue. Department of history and diplomatic studies faculty of humanities rivers state university of education pmb 5047, rumuolumeni port harcourt, rivers state nigeria.
In democratic systems, political parties compete for support, mobilizing support behind distinct sets of policy proposals and political values. Party conflicts and democratic consolidation in nigeria 1999. Pdf analytical study of political party systems in nigeria. In western parliamentary democracy, only two political parties are required. Nigeria is not ripe for multi party system and we dont even need it. The study presents explanations for the adoption, implementation and continuity of powersharing in nigeria. Those countries we look up to dont practice democracy the way we do in nigeria and these political parties are just after what they want to benefit from the major parties and not the. Apr 12, 2017 it is a multi party system with probably over a hundred parties.
The party system in nigeria is still weak and vulnerable with no visible signs of adding value to the democratic consolidation. The third and the most common form of government is the multi party system. The case study of peoples democratic party pdp july 20. Recent party primaries throughout the country clearly show that nigeria political parties are not operating within norms of democratic principles. Apc candidate muhammadu buhari won the presidential election by almost 2. To access the political implication of multiparty system in nigeria. Pdf party systems can be identified as patterns of interaction among political. Most people do not know but there are presently 68 inec recognized political parties in nigeria updated for 2018.
The party system and democracy in africa foreign affairs. In this pr esent administrati on of the so called slogan chan ge in. Pdf on oct 31, 2016, akanbi olaiya taiwo and others published. Multiple party system is better than biparty system for the nigerian political arena. Nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. Twoparty or multiparty system, which way forward nigeria. Nigerias four main opposition parties have merged to challenge president goodluck jonathan in the. They believe that it is founded in human nature and therefore indestructible and eternal. First and foremost, the multiple party system does not limit the voters choice.
This report on political parties in africa is part of the programme of research and dialogue on political parties undertaken by the international institute for democracy and electoral assistance idea during the years 20042006. The federal government of nigeria is composed of three distinct branches. A two party system, while it might help to reduce the staggering levels of electoral rigging, as well as keep the government focused, and aligned within objectives, has some downside which cannot be waved aside. Pdf party system, its peculiarities and development of political.
Presently there are 2 major parties, the peoples democratic party pdp and the all progressives congre. There are usually 2 to 3 really big parties that cut across the whole country. The nigerian national alliance nna and the united progressive grand alliance upga in their quest to appropriate power at the centre and dominate the federal government, the npc, ncnc and ag sought alliances with the minority parties. Practically nobody in these islands understands the party system. The broad objectives or aims of this research work are simply to know the meaning and contributions of multi party system in nigeria political development. Jun 05, 2017 an example of this is the multiparty system adopted by nigeria. Such parties are restricted not by legislation but by their capacity and modes of operation. So, the smaller parties tend to merge with the bigger parties or they drop out of elections. The independent national electoral commission inec has said that there is no merger application by political parties yet. The current political system and political hierarchy in nigeria is still inflicted with certain problems which may lead to political unrest.
Everyone knows in nigeria we have just two political parties apc and pdp. To develop this idea, within britain the party system essentially means the way the political parties of the day interact with one another within the politically competitive nature. Wogu1 corresponding author,muyiwa adeniyi sholarin2, fadeke e. Powersharing in nigeria ceu political science department. It suggests that this element of continuity can be found in the practice of powersharing. Political violence in nigeria is not a particular feature of civilian regimes. The broad objectives or aims of this research work are simply to know the meaning and contributions of multiparty system in nigeria political development. Pdf since the return of multiparty democratic governance in 1999. Lack of internal democracy in nigeria political parties is a threat to the countrys nascent democracy. History of political parties in nigeria will never be complete if mention is not made of the various political bigwigs in the history of this country.
905 1024 164 1507 1399 580 1525 866 357 1220 260 342 1053 774 452 1091 675 459 313 1450 1029 240 96 472 846 1164 1461 567 507 1128 472 238