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The quest to streamline the political space has returned to the front burner. Seven former governors stole quietly into the National Assembly last week to make a case for the reduction of the number of parties in the country, which now stands at 64.
Abdullahi Adamu, Victor Attah, Adamu Aliero, Peter Odili, Chris Ngige, Achike Udenwa and Abubakar Audu met separately with the senate president, David Mark, and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, during which they canvassed for a two-party system.
The former state executives say the multi-party system that currently obtains in the country, does not give room for the emergence of healthy competition among political actors. They exploited the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution and the 2006 Electoral Act by the federal legislature to make known their views.
Incidentally, they came two days before the clause on the political parties was to be considered by the members of the lower legislative chamber, but for the demise of former president, Umaru Yar’Adua.

One cannot say with certainty whether this agitation was selfishly motivated or not. For the first time, these former governors, most of whom left office nearly three years ago, came under one umbrella to canvass a position on issues of national interest. It is just possible that in these “last days” preceding the general elections, the former governors are seeking relevance so as not to completely lose out.
A closer look at these once powerful emperors in their respective states shows they had no option, but to engage in this new political move. Some of them are today jobless. Check out the list.
Of the lot, it is only Mr. Adamu that has a political job as the secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees. Even so, he has not been finding it easy. In March, the Sarkin Yakin Keffi, who is eyeing a seat in the senate, was harassed by opponents who took him to court over public funds he allegedly pocketed while in office.
But it is necessary to ignore these messengers, whatever their motive is, and concentrate on the message. Truly, the multi-party system makes the political space more open for participation of the citizens, the desired result cannot be said to have been obtained.
Rather than being institutional components of liberal democracy and competitive electoral process, it does appear the political parties have become avenues for some “smart” Nigerians to line up their pockets with public funds. Today, some, if not, all of the 55 parties are not people-oriented. Indeed, most are merely in the portfolios of their leaders.

Removing the party from the person

Let’s look at the beginning. Up to the First Republic, Nigerian political parties were regional and ethnic political parties. Regrettably too, they were formed around charismatic personalities who were also largely idolized.

For instance, the NCNC was built around Nnamdi Azikiwe, AG (Obafemi Awolowo), NPC ( Ahmadu Bello); NEPU (Aminu Kano); UMBC (Joseph Tarka) and others.

In the 2nd Republic, the situation was not radically different. The UPN was clearly a reincarnation of AG and dominated the Yoruba race, where Mr Awolowo hailed; NPP was peopled more by the Igbos, Mr Azikiwe’s ethic group; while the National Party for Nigeria, reincarnation of NPC, was dominated by the North.

The PRP was seen as a reincarnation of NEPU while GNPP and NAP (which was later registered in 1983) were built around Waziri Ibrahim and Tunji Braithwaite, respectively.

In the aborted third republic, though many political association emerged through yet deregulation process of party formation, the then Babangida military administration, determined to eliminate ethnic influence in the parties, decreed two parties into existence – National Republican Convention (NRC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) “a little to the left, and a little to the right.” The country returned to the deregulation of the process of establishing parties at the beginning of the current Fourth Republic, which led to multi-party system. Attempts to regulate the number of political parties in the country were nullified in 2002 by the Supreme Court, which in its judgement asked that qualified parties should be registered.

Facing the PDP

Following the judgement, more parties were registered. This year alone, many have joined the crowd thereby frustrating the desire of many that two or three stronger parties would evolve to dominate the political process as in the US and UK. As it is, only the PDP pretends to have a national spread among the existing parties.This, therefore, is an opportunity to initiate a serious and durable political party re-engineering by adopting a two party system.

The hint dropped by the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, while receiving the former governors, that the House may prune the number of parties, is a welcome development. The chamber should, therefore, look in the direction of the two-party system.The system, it is believed will eliminate ethnic pluralism associated with the 1st and 2nd Republics, introduce genuinely national, ideological-based and issue-driven parties as well as provide strong, credible and virile opposition, which is a necessary component of democracy. Above all, it may just be a catalyst for credible elections like that of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections that was adjudged the best so far in the country.