Stakeholders have called on political parties in Nigeria to prioritize internal democracy, warning that the lack of transparency and inclusiveness in their structures is weakening democratic governance in the country.
This call was made at the Subnational Strengthening Democracy Conference held in Kano State, a follow-up to the national-level initiative in Abuja, themed “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy – Pathways to Good Governance and Political Integrity.”
The conference, organized through a strategic partnership between Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), brought together diverse stakeholders, including academics, political leaders, civil society organizations, traditional rulers, and governance experts.
In his welcome address, Itia Otabor, Director of Strategy at the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), emphasized the need to strengthen institutions that protect democratic practices and called for reforms in Nigeria’s political party system.
Otabor expressed concern over weak institutions, poor internal party structures, and the lack of ideological consistency among political parties.
He highlighted frequent internal crises within political parties, which often lead to defections and electoral instability.
“Candidate selection processes are flawed, and party discipline is weak. If we must strengthen democracy, our parties must be well-organized and ideologically driven,” he added.
He cautioned that without strong democratic institutions and well-structured parties, Nigeria’s democracy would remain unstable.
“For democracy to thrive, institutions like the judiciary, electoral bodies, and anti-corruption agencies must be strengthened to function independently and effectively,” he stated.
“Likewise, political parties must operate on clear ideologies rather than being mere platforms for power struggles.”
Delivering the keynote address, Abdullahi Sule, Director of Programs at the Youth and Environmental Development Association (YEDA), identified key challenges in Nigeria’s democracy, including weak institutions, unempowered citizens, and the absence of internal democracy in political parties.
He emphasized that without robust democratic structures at the state and local government levels, national democratic progress would remain fragile.
He stressed the need for the judicial service commission and legislative service commission, both at the federal and state level, to be autonomous, especially appointments and financing.
He also proposed for local government elections to be conducted by INEC rather than SIEC, adding that joint accounts between state and local government be abolished.
Furthermore, he called for regular consultations at constituency meetings at community levels and urged for more investments in voters education, citizens’ rights, duties, and responsibilities.
Sule also identified funding constraints and executive influence as a challenge with elections in Nigeria and insisted that granting INEC full financial and operational independence would enhance public trust in the electoral process.
He said, “INEC must have full control over its budget, appointments, and decision-making processes without external influence”.
In her remarks, the guest speaker, a social justice advocate Prof Rabia Salihu Sa’id of Bayero University kano said for Nigeria’s democracy to be truly participatory and accountable, there is need for parties to be reformed to deepen internal democracy.
She highlighted the challenges to internal party democracy to include weak regulatory enforcement by INEC, influence of political godfathers and elite dominance, lack of internal conflict resolution mechanisms and imited participation of women, youth, and marginalised group
Meanwhile, a communique released at the end of the conference which had several panel sessions highlighted the challenges facing democracy at the subnational level, including weak institutions, lack of internal democracy among political parties, lack of political inclusivity, and limited citizen participation in decision-making processes.
The communique therefore recommended that executive, judiciary, legislature, traditional leaders, INEC, civil society organisations (CSOs) and media fortify democratic foundations, foster citizens’ engagement, and create pathways for credible and inclusive leadership.
