DEMOCRACY AND THE CHALLENGE OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE NIGERIA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC
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Abstract
Political parties are important institutional component of liberal democracy and successful electoral machination and processes. Parties produce the candidates, set the parameters of issues and political agenda within which elections are to be contested and are furthermore expected to perform these duties from one election to another. In this paper we observed that political parties are a form of human organization concerned with the expression of popular preferences, political choices and a means of controlling the policy making structures of the government. In a democracy, the existence of political parties is very essential, owing to the important roles they play. The paper argues that in Nigeria, political parties have not been able to perforin the desired role in sustaining our democracy due to incessant inter and intra party crisis that usually characterize political parties in Nigeria. Theoretical method has been used to appreciate the issue of political parties as it affects democracy in Nigeria. The paper concludes that the ineffectiveness of Nigerian political parties is as a result of the nature and character of Nigerian state. So there is need for dedicated and truly nationalistic leadership at all levels socio-political re-engineering and social mobilization as bases for building elite consensus on crucial national questions. When achieved, reforming Nigerian parties for greater productivity can be attained.