Weak parties, strong elites: political institutionalisation and democratic fragility in Nigeria

This study examines the weak institutionalisation of political parties in Nigeria and their implications for insecurity and democratic fragility. It argues that political parties in Nigeria are plagued by elite capture, deficient internal democracy, and limited grassroots engagement, which collectively undermine their capacity to foster democratic consolidation. Instead of promoting issue-based politics, parties function primarily as instruments of patronage, godfatherism, and rent-seeking. These institutional shortcomings, rooted in Nigeria’s authoritarian legacies and state-orchestrated party formations, have eroded public trust, exacerbated voter apathy, triggered electoral violence, and intensified separatist agitations. Methodologically, the article adopts a qualitative research design, drawing on documentary analysis of party constitutions, electoral reports, and secondary literature, complemented by process tracing of key electoral and political episodes across Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. The paper links these dynamics to broader patterns of democratic backsliding and governance instability and concludes by advocating reforms to enhance internal party democracy, curb elite dominance, promote ideological clarity, and strengthen local-level participation as essential steps toward consolidating Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.