Participants at a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria has called on opposition political parties to unite and form a strong viable coalition.
The two-day national conference was organized by African Center for Leadership Strategy and Development (CENTERLSD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) and National Peace Committee in Abuja.
The conference convened serving and former members of the executive, legislature, and judiciary, notable private sector players, as well as representatives from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the media, academics and other key stakeholders.
According to a communiqué issued at the end of the conference, participants submitted that political parties should not be seen as mere special-purpose-vehicle (SPV) for elections every four years, rather as viable, ongoing entities that remain actively engaged in political, social, and economic issues.
“Opposition political parties must unite to form a strong, viable coalition that ensures checks and balances, promotes accountability, and fosters healthy political discourse to protect the integrity of the democratic process.
“Political party should adopt innovative strategies for raising funds to support their operations, ensuring financial independence and sustainability to minimise state capture and corrupt tendencies.
“Political parties should embrace competitive primaries, as this remains the most effective means to field competent and capable candidates for voters to make their choices,” the communiqué read.
Participants noted that Nigeria’s democracy, once a beacon of hope on the African continent, faces an unprecedented crisis that threatens its survival and undermines its potential for growth and development.
They, however, lamented that gradually, state institutions have over time been weakened by the overbearing tendencies of those who occupy the executive arm of government.
“There is a growing incident of state and elite capture in our political system with the tendency to slip into a one-party state.
“There are concerns on the trend of electoral outcomes with respect to the role of the judiciary where the courts have become the decisive agents in selecting leaders rather than the ballots.
“In spite of the series of reforms put in place to sanitise the electoral system, there appears to be an insidious metamorphosis into the current practice of vote buying observed in the polity.


“The roles of political parties have over-time been eroded due to its capture by barons and warlords, resulting in a lack of internal democracy and discipline.
“There is an obvious dearth of opposition voices and silence in the civic space.”
Participants said centralization of elections management system impacts negatively on the efficiency and effectiveness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as there seems to be a clandestine by politicians in power to fix their cronies into INEC in readiness for the next election.
They called on INEC to promote the decentralization of election management in Nigeria to enhance efficiency, transparency, and inclusivity by empowering regional and local structures to oversee electoral processes, address logistical challenges, and engage communities more effectively.
“INEC should undertake a review of its internal processes to incorporate ward-level collation of results and ensure strict adherence to the electoral guidelines as mandated.
“Technology should be integrated into the electoral process to enhance accountability and transparency, aligning with global best practices and ensuring the credibility of the election outcomes.
“INEC should live up to its billing of strengthening political parties through its regulatory function to ensure internal democracy is entrenched in political parties.
“To further deepen the space for political participation, INEC should allow the registration of new political parties as enshrined in the constitution.
“INEC should consider the creation of new departments to enable it to effectively regulate and monitor political parties,” the communiqué added.
The participants said proposals before the National Assembly seeking to reform the electoral process should be prioritised by the 10th Assembly. This should include other structural reforms of the electoral system, including the “winner-takes-all” system.
Considering the limited timeframe to the next general elections, they urged National Assembly to prioritise the review of the Electoral Act.