THE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu on June 25, this year, revealed that the electoral umpire has received 110 applications for registration of new organisations as political parties, with Nigeria gearing up for the 2027 general elections. Presently, there are 18 registered parties after 74 were deregistered.
This demonstrates the fact that requirements for registration of parties are stifling and unrealistic. It is due essentially to the thinking that any organisation aspiring to be registered as a political party must be national in outlook. They are, ab initio, required to have offices in all the six geo-political zones in the country. Some other requirements such as proof of financial viability and visible offices across the zones put too much burden on the promoters of political associations.
The notion that all parties must have a national outlook is largely responsible for the high attrition rate of registered parties. In trying to be active in every part of the country, the parties dissipate a lot of energy and resources, which eventually render them ineffectual.
Another factor encouraging the quest for more political parties is the failure to create room for independent candidacy. With the few national parties already choking the political space, aspiring leaders desirous of charting a path independent of the dominant parties are forced to set up parties of their own. The unsustainable large number of applications after every electoral cycle shows that the requirements for registration of parties are defective. Everybody cannot be railroaded into joining the established parties that are already choked up and under the direct control of their promoters. The requirements for party registration and absence of independent candidacy foster and entrench the spectre of godfather syndrome in the Nigeria’s political process.
In addition, the political parties are not known to offer a level playing field for those aspiring to seek popular vote. Whether through direct or indirect primaries, the parties are not transparently democratic. Rather, their internal processes are manipulated to favour some candidates and shut out others. The recent Supreme Court judgement that the emergence of party flag bearers are entirely their internal affairs without a roadmap on how the parties should be more democratic potentially strengthens the stranglehold of godfathers.
We are of the view that a clement democratic space should not require all political parties to have a national spread. In some climes, both independent candidacy and “small” or “provincial” parties are allowed, giving the people greater options on the path to seeking the people’s mandate and, for voters, a wide field to choose their leaders.
Independent candidacy gives bourgeoning politicians the leeway to shield themselves from the manoeuvre of political godfathers. The stranglehold on the political process by the godfathers and the limited options for the fringe players to give the electorate an alternative choice negatively affects the emergence of truly popular candidates. As a result, the dominant forces keep recycling candidates of their choosing without giving options to voters.
As the Constitution is undergoing another review, we urge the National Assembly to open up the system by endorsing independent candidacy and making the registration of new political parties less stringent and cumbersome. The present process is too restrictive and does not give the electorate the options that will make the leadership selection process more competitive and productive.
Herein lies the fundamental change
required to improve the process through which leaders emerge, not just during general elections but also in the conduct of primaries in the parties.
The proposed review of the Electoral Act also offers another opportunity to make parties more democratic in the conduct of their affairs. Until the insistence on the emergence of parties with “national spread” is jettisoned, independent candidacy allowed and parties made internally democracy
, the request for the registration o of new parties will become a permanent feature of the country’s electoral cycle.
