The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Sam Amadi, has described Nigeria’s current political climate as the worst period of party organisational politics in the country’s democratic history.
Amadi made the remark on Sunday during a live interview on Arise Television while reacting to the conduct of primary elections by political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the ongoing primaries have exposed deep confusion, instability, and structural weaknesses within the country’s political parties compared to previous election cycles.
“This is the worst we have had in party organisational politics in Nigeria. In 2023 we had crisis here and there but it wasn’t at this level,” Amadi said.
He noted that unlike the 2023 electoral season where political alignments and party structures appeared clearer, the current political environment has become increasingly uncertain due to shifting alliances, defections, and internal crises across major parties.
“We went into the primaries with clarity. PDP was PDP, APC was APC, we didn’t have the confusion we have now,” he stated.
Amadi, however, said the adoption of direct primaries by some political parties could still be viewed as a sign of gradual democratic progress despite existing flaws in the process.
“The second issue we have now is the transition to direct primaries. There are two ways to look at it. We are making progress. No matter how damaged these processes are, at least there’s a process,” he added.
The political analyst explained that while the internal democratic mechanisms within parties remain weak and heavily contested, the existence of structured electoral procedures still represents an improvement compared to periods where candidates emerged without broader participation.
His comments come amid heightened political tensions across the country following controversial primaries, defections, and internal disagreements within several political parties ahead of the next general elections.
In recent weeks, Nigeria’s political landscape has witnessed a series of high-profile defections, legal battles over party regulations, disputes over consensus candidacies, and growing concerns over the credibility of internal party democracy.
Analysts say the developments have intensified debates about the future of Nigeria’s multiparty system, electoral reforms, and the ability of political institutions to sustain public confidence in the democratic process.