POLITICAL PARTIES AND DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS.

Political Parties is an alliance of likeminded people who work together to win elections and control of the government. Political Parties compete against one another for the ability to put their philosophies and policies into effect and for political power. Modem western democracies cannot exist without political parties. This paper examines political parties, which is a crucial aspect of Nigeria's Democratic Governance stating that there is a direct relationship between the conduct and character of a country's political parties and the degree of good Governance and democratic consolidation in the country. The paper argues that Democracy in Nigeria has not gained any significant achievement when compared with countries that are heading towards stable democracy. As a theoretical underpinning, the elite theory as postulated by Mosca and Pareto was adopted. The secondary sources of data collection were utilized which includes the use of such materials as textbooks, journals, newspapers and magazines. The paper found out that political parties often fail to perform their roles adequately or with sufficient credibility. Some are fundamentally weak and rely heavily on the personal appeal of their leaders. Political Leaders also engaged in all manner of election malpractices ranging from violence, thuggery, deployment of ethnic sentiments amongst others.