Democracy begins to die the moment political parties stop listening to their own members. Recent controversies surrounding party primaries in Nigeria have again exposed a painful truth: many political contests are no longer battles of ideas but transactions of influence. Rumours of aspirants allegedly paying enormous sums to political power brokers in exchange for automatic tickets have deepened public distrust. Even more troubling are claims that candidates facing corruption allegations continue to receive elite protection and political clearance. When a party abandons fairness within its own walls, it weakens its moral authority to govern a nation outside them.
Political godfatherism is no longer a shadow in Nigerian politics; it has become the engine room. Party structures that should produce competent leaders now resemble private estates guarded by invisible gatekeepers. Delegates are courted like commodities. Loyalty is rented. Merit is buried beneath cash and connections. The ordinary party member often discovers that the outcome of a primary election was settled long before the first ballot appeared. Democracy then becomes theatre — loud microphones outside, silent agreements inside. The people watch the performance while a few powerful hands control the script behind the curtain.
This betrayal carries consequences beyond politics. It destroys public faith in institutions. Young people who once believed in participation begin to see politics as a marketplace reserved for the wealthy and well-connected. Honest aspirants withdraw. Reformers become discouraged. Citizens lose confidence that integrity can survive in public office. A nation cannot consistently produce justice from structures designed to reward manipulation. Rotten roots cannot sustain healthy fruit. When internal democracy collapses inside political parties, national democracy soon begins to crack like a house built on wet sand.
The defence often given is predictable: “That is the system.” Yet history shows that corrupt systems eventually consume even those who created them. Political parties are supposed to serve as schools of leadership, discipline, and accountability. Instead, many have become pyramids of patronage where influence flows downward and silence travels upward. Candidates with unresolved public controversies are presented as untouchable figures while credible voices are pushed aside. The message to citizens becomes dangerous and clear: power matters more than character. Once a society normalises that belief, corruption no longer hides; it governs openly.
Nigeria deserves better than democracy auctioned to the highest bidder. A political party that cannot conduct transparent primaries cannot convincingly promise transparent governance. Leadership imposed through manipulation rarely produces justice because the process itself was wounded from birth. The nation now stands at a crossroads between political renewal and organised cynicism. If parties continue to betray their own members, citizens may eventually stop believing not only in politicians but in democracy itself. And when people lose faith in peaceful participation, the entire republic begins to drift like a ship whose captains have sold the compass.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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