Rivers stakeholders blame campaign issues on parties’ lack of ideology - The Guardian Nigeria News
Stakeholders in Rivers State have attributed the recurring crises over presidential campaign structures within Nigeria’s political parties to the absence of clear ideological foundations among the parties.
They argued that most political parties in the country were formed largely around the pursuit and sharing of political power, rather than shared ideological convictions, making internal cohesion difficult during elections.
The Chancellor, International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights (ISSJHR), Omenazu Jackson, stated this while reacting to the controversy surrounding the formation of presidential campaign councils ahead of elections.
According to him, the lack of ideological orientation among political parties remains one of the major challenges to the development of Nigeria’s democratic space.
“Majority of the political parties in this country are formed out of political efficiency, not out of political ideology. Lack of ideological leaning is part of the problem of the development of our democratic space.
“Most political parties are not ideologically fused. Members come together largely around political power-sharing, rather than ideological development. These are the truths about the matter,” he said.
Jackson said the absence of a common ideological direction often made it difficult for party members to reach consensus on critical issues, including the composition of campaign councils.
He argued that where political parties were united by a common ideology and clearly defined objectives, identifying members for campaign structures would be less contentious.
“What is the big deal about the formation of a campaign council if all the political party members share the same ideology, focus and direction?
“They should know their key members in the various areas; they should know their input and value and where to pick candidates and campaign council members,” he said.
Jackson, therefore, called for political parties to be structured around clearly defined ideologies rather than political expediency, saying this would strengthen internal cohesion and democratic development.
He also attributed the ease with which politicians defect from one political party to another to the absence of strong ideological bonds within the parties.
“It is easy to see a Nigerian politician, at the slightest political disagreement, jump from one party to another without remorse or looking back because nothing binds them,” he said.
Similarly, a lawyer, Franklin Chikwendu, argued that political parties should be built around clear ideological positions and principles capable of providing direction for their members.
He said stronger ideological foundations would help reduce internal disagreements and provide a more coherent basis for political participation and governance.
