Has it ended in Tears?

Political parties have remained critical actors in modern representative democracy. In most democratic countries, they are codified into national constitutions to safeguard their operation and provide a congenial context for inclusive democracy and civilized party politicking. This study examines the nexus between party constitutionalisation and the strengthening of party democracy in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. By focusing on three areas of party constitutionalisation, the paper seeks to contribute to existing body of knowledge on the prospect of constitutional codification of political parties as an instrument for deepening constitutional democracy and constitutionalism in Nigeria. Essentially a qualitative study, the paper largely relies on the literature and formal legal documents including the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as sources of data while it adopts zero-sum approach as its theoretical framework of analysis. The paper finds that while the legal instruments contain elaborate and ambitious provisions aimed at achieving inclusive democracy, civilized/violence-free politicking and accountable party organization, a combination of factors has constrained the achievement of these democracy-enhancing objectives. In conclusion, the paper suggests some measures capable of achieving intended consequences of party constitutionalisation.