Although many people do not think of it this way, registering as a democrat or republican makes them. The role of political parties at the local government level. The role of political parties in democratic governance in nigeria the role of political parties in democratic governance in nigeria a case study of pdp. After this period the country has managed to survive and redefine kits comprehensive political system. Political parties originated in their modern form in europe and the united states in the 19th century, along with the electoral and parliamentary systems, whose development reflects the evolution of parties. Political parties, operating at their best, make democratic government possible in large, complex and heterogeneous societies. Niger has a multiparty system, with two to three strong political parties and smaller parties electorally successful to take seats in the national assembly. Parties tend to be deeply and durably entrenched in specific substructures of society in a sustainable and well functioning democracy. Robert michels, political parties, 8 the right of one over others. Political parties in the united states do a variety of things. The three political parties were the national council of nigeria and the cameroons ncnc.
The party, which earned the respect and admiration of most nigerians, in the period between 1999 2007 due to its politics and policies. The role of political parties in democratic governance in. What are the features and functions of political parties. A political party is an organized group of people who have the same ideology, or who otherwise have the same political positions, and who field candidates for elections, in an attempt to get them elected and thereby implement the partys agenda while there is some international commonality in the way political parties are recognized and in how they operate, there are often many differences. Students of political parties have commonly associated them with democracy itself orji, 20. Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age. Functions of political parties in nigeria political. Parties, trade unions, and courts in addition, political institutions include political party organizations, trade unions, and the legal courts. Any political party should also provide increase the political consciousness of the people. The term party has since come to be applied to all organized groups seeking political power, whether by. Nigerias political parties, most especially since 1999, has raised serious questions on true democracy and democratization process in. The nigerian government structure is styled into a federal system of government. The national assembly of the federal republic of nigeria is a bicameral legislature established under section 4 of the nigerian constitution.
This paper explores an important aspect of nigerias fourth. Federal polytechnic, kaura namoda, zamfara state, nigeria abstract. Every candidate in the election would be an independent candidate. Nigeria is a culturally, politically and religiously diverse country. It consists of a senate with 109 members and a 360member house of representatives the body, modelled after the federal congress of the united states, is supposed to guarantee equal representation with 3. Most times the platform for election is provided by political parties. However, youths influence on national politics remains limited. A political party is defined as an organised group of people with at least roughly similar political aims and opinions, that seeks to influence public policy by getting its candidates elected to public office. Political parties and the prospects of democratic consolidation in. Pdf the issue whether political parties in nigeria can exercise any participatory role and control over the elected representatives on its platform in.
The apc has portrayed itself as a party with no clear ideology. It elucidates on the important roles of political parties and the relevance of. Custom quiz pdf format function of political parties by phyllis naegeli. Political party in nigeria should perform the functions provided above. But in nigeria, parties are defined based on the personalities in the party and not on any defined ideology to contemporary issues. Political parties play very critical roles in democratization of any nation. At the same time it is meant to raise interest in, and willingness to contribute to, a party.
Political parties 19961998 national democratic coalition nadeco committee for national consensus cnc democratic party of nigeria dpn grassroots democratic movement gdm national centre party of nigeria ncpn united nigeria congress party uncp justice party jp. Most people do not know but there are presently 68 inec recognized political parties in nigeriaupdated for 2018. The primary role of the political party is to fix the political agenda and policies. In the classical formulation by the political theorist schattschneider political parties created democracy and modern democracy is unthinkable save in terms of the parties. For instance, the first political party in nigeria, the nigerian national democratic party. This aspect of the process embodies undeniable opportunities and challenges at the time of writing, lara natalini was a research fellow at the africa institute of south africa. Republic politics, which is about the role of the pdp peoples democratic party in general and. The basic purpose of political parties is to nominate candidates for public office and to get as many of them elected as possible. These people come together to contest elections in order to hold power in the government. The states could not cover all areas within themselves, as the population is ever growing and so there is occupancy of more land surfaces.
The government of nigeria witnessed many structural changes in the few past decades in its political system. It is a way to mobilize voters to support common sets of interests, concerns, and goals. The above analyzed scenario in terms of socialization and recruitment in the nigerian fourth republic no doubt had a farreaching implication on interest articulation and aggregation functions of parties. The federal government could not cover all areas in nigeria considering how big our country is, so 36 nigerian states and capital were created but alas. Political parties mcmaster faculty of social sciences. Nigeria abstract political parties perform a number of functions in a political entity. The definition and purpose of political institutions. Chief among these functions is that of representation. History and development of political parties in nigeria. This unit 1 people and politics lesson is a differentiated, one hour lesson from our scheme of work. Nigeria, my country, blessed with the best brains and rains to grow our grains, operating a democratic system that guarantees political freedom, equality of citizenship, and more yes, political freedom is one of the reasons political parties in nigeria have been created to give individuals and groups a voice and opportunity to contest for.
An assessment of political parties and democratic consolidation in nigerias fourth republic mike omilusi, phd department of political science ekiti state university, nigeria abstract democratic values and practices are crucial for democratic. This is one of the main functions of political parties in democracy. They bring people together to achieve control of the government, develop policies favorable to their. The political institutions are those bodiesparties, legislatures, and heads of statethat make up the whole mechanism of modern governments. Types of political parties in nigeria and their functions. In abstracto, it makes all citizens equal before the law. Original contribution political parties and party politics in. According to the authors, in established democracies political parties perform the function of recruitment of candidates for public. Recruiting candidates for public office is one of the most important. Once elected, these officials try to achieve the goals of their party through legislation and program initiatives. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. The democrats and republicans are the dominant political parties in the united states. It consists of a senate with 109 members and a 360member house of representatives the body, modeled after the federal congress of the united states, is supposed to guarantee equal representation with 3 senators to each 36 states irrespective of size in.
It cannot be treated simply as a civil society group. The countrys extreme factionalism led to an incoherent party system with a large number of parties that deepened ethnic and religious cleavages. Nigerias political independence was ushered in by the 12 december 1959 general elections into local councils, regional and federal legislatures. Below are eight major functions of inec as contained in section 15, part 1 of the third schedule of the 1999 constitution as amended and section 2 of the electoral act 2010 as amended. Extreme caution should therefore be exercised in respect of policies which might encourage a renewal of. The first set of political parties to be formed in nigeria was formed in 1959, shortly before nigeria gained her independence from britain. Granted that nigeria is a colonial creation, the paramount determinant of political party formation. And moreover, the new types of political parties in nigeria are appearing. The recruitment of political leaders is one the main functions of political party in nigeria. They will only be able to fulfil their functions when more. An assessment of political parties and democratic consolidation in nigerias fourth republic mike omilusi, phd department of political science ekiti state university, nigeria abstract democratic values and practices are crucial for democratic institutionalization and the development of party strength. These smaller parties frequently enter into electoral coalitions with their more powerful opponents, forming blocs in both government and opposition.
Political parties, as makers of democracy, have been so romanticized that. Political parties political parties in nigeria have almost always been regionally and ethinically based. Before the elections, and based on the federal department of statistics projection of nigerias population to be 31,559,026, the political parties all agreed that there. Having gone through different phases of political action and facing various forms of suppression by the state, the kurdish movement from 1990s persisted in establishing legal parties despite. 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. Because direct democracya form of government in which political decisions are made directly by the entire body of qualified citizensis impractical in most modern societies, democratic government must be conducted through representatives. Political parties perform an important task in government. Even though criticism of political parties is easy and always popular, political parties are indispensable for a democracy. Nigerian political parties serve as a representative of the citizens. A democracy cannot exist without the presence of a political party. National council of nigeria and the cameroons ncnc. In 1959, there were three political parties in the country and they include the following. These groups work to participate in and influence the government by having its members elected to a government position.
The history of political parties in nigeria began when the first political party in nigeria was established in 1959, the year before nigeria gained her independence from great britain. Eight functions of inec every nigerian should know channels. Political parties are traditionally the most significant intermediary organization in democratic societies. Section 5 looks at the justification for and scope of interparty dialogue. The role of traditional institutions in political change and. Full list of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. Redefining political party structures in nigerias electoral.
It is a set of ideas about politics, all of which are related to one another and that modify and support each other. Ideology and political theory ideology represents a typically crucial element of political parties and their activities. After an unbroken 18 years of civil rule, the longest democratic experience in nigerias 57year history as an independent nation, a lot is still required of the countrys political parties. Elections make a fundamental contribution to democratic governance. Central to the successes and failures of electoral politics is the cardinal and strategic functions of this all. The nigerian government structure explained oasdom. History of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. Development of major political parties in the candidates respective countries nigeria sierra leone the gambia liberia formation, objectives, sources of finance, achievements and failures 16. Even though many people choose to be associated with a certain party, they dont all share exactly the same beliefs. In large complex societies, many decisions must be made about the duties and responsibilities of citizens and also about the rights and privileges. In nigeria, the 1999 constitution as amended of the federal republic of nigeria specified in section 225 16 conditions and scrutiny of the sources of funds and expenses of political parties. Today nigeria has almost 30 officially registered parties and a multiparty system. This is clear from the function performed by the political parties. There is a general sense that traditional politics and representative democracy.
There are five main functions that political parties have. The role of traditional institutions in political change. These smaller parties frequently enter into electoral coalitions with their more powerful opponents, forming blocs in both government and. Political parties originated in their modern form in europe and the united. Political parties and party systems in africa published by the berkeley electronic press, 2007 minority premium e. Diamond and gunther 2001 defined parties on the basis of their functions. Eight functions of inec every nigerian should know.
Each society must have a political system in order to maintain recognized procedures for allocating valued resources. Section 225 3a and b as well as 225 4 forbid political parties from foreign funding of any kind. Sartori 1976 defined political parties as organizations that contest political election and seek governmental office. May 31, 2017 after an unbroken 18 years of civil rule, the longest democratic experience in nigerias 57year history as an independent nation, a lot is still required of the countrys political parties. Political party, a group of persons organized to acquire and exercise political power. Cost of politics in nigeria westminster foundation for. Do nigerian political parties have defined ideologies. Full list of local government in nigeria structure. Its important that they keep in touch with the people. Yes, political freedom is one of the reasons political parties in nigeria have been created to give individuals and groups a voice and opportunity to contest for public offices. The top three political parties at the moment still remains all progressive congress apc, peoples democratic party pdp, and all progressives grand alliance apga. This data is derived from inec, an independent collegial body in charge of organization and conduction of elections. Our lessons include examination practice, feedback and interactive activities as well as academic rigour to educate students for an a level government and politics course. The second political party was the northern peoples congress npc and it.
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