Democracy progressing, but internal party practices remain major challenge – Experts

Some political analysts and scholars have highlighted weaknesses in internal party democracy, institutional independence and service delivery as hinderances to the country’s democratic development.

In separate interviews with the News reporters in Ibadan on Thursday, the experts, who assessed Nigeria’s democracy ahead of the Democracy Day celebration, said that expectations of Nigerians were yet to be met.

The Newsmen report that June 12 is celebrated as Democracy Day in Nigeria to honor the historic 1993 presidential election and the struggle for democratic rule.

A public and financial analyst, Mr Tunji Adepeju, said Nigeria possessed adequate constitutional and legal frameworks to support democracy, but noted that the challenge lay in how political actors operated the system.

According to him, the executive arm of government often exerts undue influence over the legislature, particularly at the state level, thereby weakening the checks and balances required for effective democratic governance.

He said “democratic institutions can only function effectively when public office holders respect their constitutional roles and responsibilities.

“Nigeria’s democratic challenges are not about the age of the system, but the attitudes and conduct of those entrusted with managing it,” Adepeju said.

He maintained that democratic practice at the national level appeared stronger than in many states, where governors often wield excessive influence over political and legislative processes.

The analyst also dismissed claims that Nigeria was drifting toward a one-party state, noting that the country still had numerous registered political parties.

According to him, defections and political instability are largely driven by personal ambition and the pursuit of political advantage rather than deliberate efforts to suppress opposition parties.

Also speaking, Prof. Adams Onuka, a member of the National Association of Evaluation, identified the absence of internal party democracy as one of the most significant threats to Nigeria’s democratic development.

Onuka traced some of the country’s democratic challenges to the legacy of military rule, arguing that aspects of governance remained overly centralised and personalised.

He expressed concern over what he described as the imposition of candidates by party leaders, saying such practices undermined democratic principles even before general elections were conducted.

The don, however, commended Nigeria for sustaining uninterrupted democratic governance since 1999 and expressed optimism that democratic institutions would continue to mature.

“There is the need for reforms that would strengthen internal party democracy, reduce excessive influence by individuals within political parties and encourage issue-based political competition.

“Political parties should compete through policies and programmes that improve citizens’ welfare rather than relying on the influence of powerful individuals,” Onuka said.

Similarly, Prof. Victor Isumonah of the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, said Nigeria had recorded progress in terms of sustaining democratic rule but continued to fall short of key democratic principles.

He noted that free and fair elections, adherence to the rule of law, protection of human rights and prioritisation of public interest remained critical areas requiring improvement.

Isumonah said many Nigerians still judged democracy largely by its ability to deliver tangible improvements in living conditions and public services.

“Poor infrastructure, inadequate electricity supply, environmental challenges and unsatisfactory service delivery continue to fuel public dissatisfaction with democratic governance,” he said.

The political scientist urged elected officials at all levels to adopt a more hands-on approach to governance by closely monitoring projects and engaging directly with citizens’ needs.

He stressed that democracy would gain greater public support if leaders translated democratic governance into visible improvements in people’s daily lives.

The experts agreed that while Nigeria had made notable progress in sustaining democratic rule, strengthening institutions, deepening internal party democracy and improving public service delivery remained essential to consolidating the country’s democratic gains.