DEARTH OF POLITICAL IDEOLOGY: LUST FOR POWER IN NIGERIAN POLITICS By:

DEARTH OF POLITICAL IDEOLOGY: LUST FOR  POWER IN NIGERIAN POLITICS

                  By: 
Nurudeen Daud
       November 24, 2017
nurudeendauda24@gmail.com
nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com
nurudeendauda.blogspot.com

Politics is a game of all possibilities. All political equations are quadratic in nature. Politics is equally a game of interest. There is nether a permanent friend nor enemy in politics. What remains permanent is interest. However, I strongly believe that we should match interest with Ideology and principle.

      
In my observation, virtually all politicians of Nigeria irrespective of their political parties are " political party platform seekers". In humble prediction, we are likely to see more "defections" in the country from the major political parties, especially among: "serving" or "aspirants" for Senatorial, Federal House Representatives, State House of Assembly members before the primary elections of 2019. In my understanding, the reason for "defections" by most politicians is to get a platform for political contest. 

Political parties in Nigeria are not formed based on "Ideology" as in the Western World. If our political parties are formed based on political Ideology , the issue of "defection" from one party to the other would not have arisen. No doubt, we need a vibrant political opposition in the country just as we need political parties being formed based on "Ideology ". A vibrant political opposition is good for democracy. It will certainly prevent civilian dictatorship thereby providing alternative to electorates.

 Let's build our parties support base on  political Ideology. Politicians in Nigeria must begin to galvanize their support through promoting a particular politico-economic ideology. On the other hand, electorate in Nigeria if we must get it right, we must support politicians based on their politico-economic ideologies. In my humble opinion, if our political parties are formed based on political Ideology , the issue of defection from one party to the other will reduce or stop. We need a vibrant opposition party which will serve as a check to the ruling party and or serves as an alternative.

permit me to ask thus:What is political Ideology? In simple term, Political Ideology could be defined as a set of "doctrines" or "beliefs" that are shared by the members of a social group which forms the basis for political or economic views. More so, a political ideology is a coherent set of views on politics and what should be the role of government in the state.

Nigerian political parties In the first Republic through the second Republic had a semblance of political parties Ideology. The Northern People Congress ,NPC and National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroon ( later Council of Nigeria Citizens), NCNC, for instance, one could argue that they were both more in tune with the Right- Wing(Capitalist) political Ideology. For Action Group, AG and Northern Element Progressive Union, NEPU one could argue that they were both more of the Left-Wing (Socialist) political Ideology.

More so, in the Second Republic the then National Party of Nigeria, NPN one could say it was more of the Right-Wing Ideology with a clear cut policy on massive Housing Development. The then Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN was of the Left-Wing Ideology with a Policy on education for all. For the then Peoples Redemption Party, PRP one could argue that it was of the Left-Wing political Ideology with anti-tax policy.

Party formations and supports in the Western World are based on peoples Ideologies. Political parties are ideologically driven. Members of a political party in the Western World are people who share similar political and or economic Ideology. However, in Nigeria one can safely say politicians only join parties in order to have political platforms for contesting elective offices not because they share similar political or economic Ideology.

However, In my humble submission, some of the ways and means to be adopted in order to reduce ro stop rampant political parties defection in Nigeria are:(1) legalization of independent candidacy; (2) Formation of political parties based on Ideology; and(3) Electorate should based their support for political parties/candidates base on their ideologies.                            
 May God bless Nigeria!

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