Parties fight internal conflicts and seek peace ahead of campaign launch

As the 2023 election nears, the cracks in some political parties have continued to widen and there appears to be no end in sight,OLUWAFEMI MORGAN written >

Apart from off-cycle gubernatorial elections in Osun, Ekiti and Edo states, where intra-party wrangling led to unexpected results, experts are confident that the tension within political parties will affect the fortunes of candidates for elected office in the 2023 general elections. Although crises in some political parties have always existed, observers say that new dimensions of disagreement, infighting, media war and legal battles have a way of distracting parties from relevant issues of good governance.

In any democratic space, political parties are meant to be a collection of conscientious citizens, some of whom intend to run and win elections. In other words, members of a political party are meant to be individuals bound by common interests to gain, retain and manage political power on behalf of citizens. Parties in opposition to the ruling political party are expected to assert themselves as viable alternatives to the people. This is done by providing leadership and keeping the ruling party on its toes through unprecedented commentary on socio-economic issues.

While some have argued that at the heart of political infighting is the lack of ideological basis in parties, others believe such struggles emerge because of the need to check power of the party structure at the federal level. , state, local government and neighborhood levels.

Political parties

This year there has been a wave of internal disputes in the various parties. Most of the 18 political parties have at least one issue or the other to resolve before the 2023 elections. Despite the experience on their side, the major political parties remain enmeshed in bickering. For example, it's not yet Uhuru for APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu, who faces the challenge of cheering on party members who are uncomfortable with the controversy following the Muslim ticket- Muslim. An APC leader in Rivers State, Tonye Princewill, quit the party following the controversy. Another party leader, Yakubu Dogara, vehemently kicked the Muslim-Muslim ticket, which the ruling political party currently sports.

There is also an ominous silence from political blocs allegedly harmed by the fact that they may not have a say in Tinubu's upcoming presidential campaign, which is due to begin on 28 september. In addition to the uncertainty at the national level, it was previously reported that there were pockets of crises in at least 20 APC state chapters across the country. They include Lagos, Kano, Gombe, Kaduna, Bauchi, Zamfara, Kwara, Kebbi, Ondo, Ekiti and Ogun states. Others are Ondo, Osun, Rivers, Cross River, Imo, Benue, Nasarawa, Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The People's Democratic Party is also facing one crisis or another. The party's main rancor that could weaken its influence at the polls is believed to be the disagreement between Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and some party bigwigs. So far, several moves to appease Wike and win his support after he lost the presidential ticket to the PDP convention have come up against a brick wall.

Furthermore, the main opposition party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has yet to set up his campaign council, which has further heightened uncertainty within the party. However, Atiku seems willing to push for ethnic balance, as can be inferred from the recent appointment of Adolphus Wabara as Chairman of the PDP Board in order to win the hearts of members, who have since pitched their tent with Wike on the issue of ethnic balance. It was previously reported that 11 PDP state chapters were in crisis over the nomination of gubernatorial candidates in Edo, Ebonyi, Kano, Delta, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ekiti, Imo, Akwa Ibom and Lagos .

The other parts

Most of the political parties, which have not gained much national prominence like the PDP, are also embroiled in political wrangling within months of the general election. For example, in the Accord Party, there is a crisis over the post of president. Abuja High Court Judge Olukayode Adeniyi recognized Reverend Isaac Adeniyi as National Chairman of the Accord Party in May 2022. The judgment opposed the Independent National Electoral Commission, the party, the former chairman of the party, Mohammed Nalado, and to the Legal Adviser, Maxwell Ndugbem. Nalado, who was dominating the party primaries, reportedly abruptly abdicated his post in favor of Adeniyi.

In Action Alliance, the Na...