According to a recent Trust TV interview, public affairs analyst and political commentator Comrade Ahmad Raji has expressed concern over the steady decline of political party influence in Nigeria’s governance since the beginning of the Fourth Republic.
Raji, who reflected on the evolution of Nigeria’s political landscape, noted that during the Second Republic, parties such as the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) maintained strong internal discipline, ensuring that elected officials followed party principles and ideologies. He said those party structures promoted responsibility, unity, and accountability — qualities that are now missing in today’s politics.
Comparing that period to the current era, Raji explained that when Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the situation changed drastically. “In the Second Republic, political parties had real control. But under the Obasanjo administration, we began to see the weakening of party authority. Leaders started acting independently of their party manifestos, and that was where the decline began,” he said.
He lamented that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which once held firm control and direction, began to lose its cohesion due to internal conflicts and the growing dominance of individual ambitions over collective goals.
Raji further warned that the continued erosion of party discipline has led to policy inconsistency, poor governance, and public distrust in the political system. He emphasized that unless political parties return to internal democracy and clear ideological direction, Nigeria’s democratic development will remain fragile.
“The strength of any democracy lies in the strength of its political parties. Once the parties lose discipline, the system collapses from within,” he cautioned.
Raji concluded by urging political stakeholders to prioritize structural reforms and rebuild party systems capable of holding leaders accountable and safeguarding democratic principles.
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