As Nigeria’s political space welcomes another new entrant, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), many voters are asking a simple but urgent question: Is the NDC going to be different from other political parties in Nigeria? The party has generated early optimism, but recent developments are already testing that hope, writes Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka from Abuja.
Democracy, in its most quoted definition, is government of the people, by the people and for the people. It means rule with the people’s consent. Looking at Nigeria’s democratic journey, however, one begins to wonder if practice matches that definition, or if the gap between theory and reality keeps widening.
Nigeria’s political history has been shaped by interruptions. Due to corruption in the system, the military intervened in 1966, an action that led to a brutal civil war ending in 1970. The conflict cost many lives and destroyed properties worth trillions of naira. Even after the war, military rule persisted for decades.
Within that period, the military achieved significant milestones, including the relocation of Nigeria’s capital from Lagos to Abuja. Yet the cost of interrupted civilian rule, weakened institutions and culture of impunity, still echoes in the Fourth Republic.
In 1999, power returned to civilians. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, dominated for 16 years. Many Nigerians expected dividends of democracy, but the experience fell short for millions. Poverty, infrastructure deficits and insecurity remained pressing concerns despite years of single-party control.
From 2023 to date, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has held power. For many citizens, little has changed in day-to-day life. Reports of kidnapping, killings and abductions continue to dominate headlines, deepening public frustration with the political class.
It is against this backdrop that Nigerians are demanding better political parties and leaders who will deliver what they have long cried for. The formation of new parties, including the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has therefore sparked interest among voters looking for alternatives.
The NDC is being watched closely because of the people at its helm and the promises it makes. Many believe it could address, at the barest minimum, the anomalies that have defined party politics in Nigeria. That expectation alone puts the party under scrutiny.
Recently, the NDC organized and conducted primary elections across several constituencies. Winners are known within party circles, but official announcements have been delayed. The gap between voting and declaration has fueled suspicion among members and observers.
The delay in announcing results raises questions. In Nigerian politics, prolonged silence after primaries often suggests backroom deals or manipulation. For a party that markets itself as new, the optics matter. People are watching to see if NDC will repeat old patterns.
The party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, reportedly agreed that all serving legislators who are aspiring should get automatic tickets. If true, the decision bypasses competitive primaries and ignores the views of constituents who may want a say in choosing their representatives.
Automatic tickets for incumbents have been a sore point in Nigeria’s democracy. While experience matters, denying party members a voice in selection weakens internal democracy. It also creates the impression that party leadership, not the people, determines representation.
One notable NDC member, Chief Okey Nwoke, who spoke to us by telephone, did not mince words. “The Nigeria Democratic Congress will try to do a semblance of primaries,” he said. He explained that direct primaries mean every member at the ward level participates, not handpicked delegates in a centralized venue.
Nwoke argued that the Electoral Act makes no provision for delegates in the way parties often use them. “You don’t bring people to a centralized area, pick some and call them delegates. There is no provision for that,” he stressed, faulting practices that concentrate power in the hands of few.
He however concluded that NDC disappointed Nigerians by its inability to conduct simple, transparent party primaries, leading to protests and self-help by aggrieved aspirants. He acknowledged the NEC’s reason for automatic tickets for serving lawmakers, but insisted popularity and constituent approval should not be forgotten.
For now, the NDC stands at a crossroads. It can choose to entrench the same practices Nigerians have rejected, or it can prove that a new party can respect the spirit of democracy, government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The next few weeks will tell if hope in the NDC is justified, or just another cycle repeating itself.
