PARTY CRISIS AND DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION IN NIGERIA: ALL PROGRESSIVE CONGRESS (APC) OGUN STATE IN FOCUS (2018-2019)

Abstract

Party politics is an integral part of a democratic society. However, intra-party crisis has undermined the significance of political parties in Nigeria. This paper investigated intra-party crisis and democratic consolidation in Nigeria using the APC Ogun State between 2018 and 2019 as a focus. It made use of secondary sources of data and adopted the Realistic Group Conflict Theory (RGCT) as its theoretical tool of analysis. The paper observed that intra-party crisis is an age-long affair in Nigeria's political landscape, which was evident in the pre-independence politics of the nation and has evolved through political development to date. It argued that intra-party crisis witnessed in Ogun state APC between 2018 and 2019 had terrifying effect on democratic consolidation in the state and the nation at large. It argued that the efforts made by the stakeholders to resolve the crisis in APC
Ogun state proved abortive. Available records indicate that the APC intra-party crisis weakened party growth and mobilisation capacity in Ogun state. It initiated political instability through party defection, excessive monitised politics, electoral violence and other electoral irregularities. It concluded that intra-party crisis frustrated the move towards democratic consolidation in Ogun state. The paper recommended, among others, that APC Ogun state should display openness and transparency in the process of selecting party flag bearers and party executives while members should be given opportunity to participate in party activities. Also, the party should establish an unbiased conflict management and resolution mechanism for addressing intra-party crisis while the Ogun state APC should strictly uphold party internal democracy and comply with provisions of party constitution.