MONETIZATION OF PARTY PRIMARIES AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: IMPLICATIONS ON YOUTHS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Youth political participation in Nigeria has garnered increasing attention in recent years. Despite constituting a substantial segment of the population, young Nigerians encounter numerous challenges that hinder their active participation in the political process. One of the primary challenges is the exorbitant cost associated with engaging in the political process, particularly due to the highly monetized nature of party primaries within many political parties in Nigeria. This article therefore accessed the implications of highly monetized party primaries on youth political participation in Nigeria. The article utilizes a qualitative research methodology, specifically a narrative literature review, to examine the issue under examination. This approach involves synthesizing existing research on the subject through a qualitative lens. The data is collected from a diverse range of sources, including official documents, books, academic journals, newspapers, magazines, and other pertinent materials. The implication of monetized primaries in Nigeria is that it has widened the gap of youth sense of alienation, disillusionment and grievance-based violence. It has also worsened the crises of political marginalization, exclusion and unemployment. This paper recommends that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should urgently place a cap on the prices of nomination and interest forms among political parties in Nigeria. Additionally, political parties should adopt direct primaries to allow all members, including the youth, to participate in the selection of candidates, thereby reducing the influence of political entrepreneurs or "money bags" from hijacking the process.