The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has called for the reinstatement of the annual grant to political parties that was previously removed from the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly.
During a summit organized by the African Democratic Party (ADC) in Kaduna, the National Chairman of IPAC, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, emphasized that providing funds to political parties is crucial for strengthening their structures.
Dantalle pointed out that many party politics suffer from fragility, weak structures, and factionalism, leading to frequent leadership disputes at various levels. Instead of focusing on building party structures to enhance democracy, party executives often spend their energy conspiring to oust their leaders.
“The allocation of funds is essential for establishing robust structures. Therefore, IPAC is urging the restoration of annual grants to political parties that were previously removed from the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly.”
“In the current landscape of party politics, fragility, weak structures, and factionalism persist, and leadership disputes are common as party executives at different levels expend energy on scheming against their leaders rather than fortifying their party structures to advance the nation’s democracy.”
“This phenomenon is particularly evident at the Ward level, where officials may suddenly announce the suspension of the party’s national chairman or any obstacle in their path.”
“With the presence of numerous political party leaders at this summit, I am confident that a new era is beginning in Nigerian party politics.”
“Moving forward, all political parties in Nigeria will recognize the importance of constructing solid, robust structures to attract more citizens to their parties in pursuit of a vibrant, progressive, prosperous, and fair democratic nation.”
IPAC’s leadership has devised a four-year strategic plan from 2024 to 2027 aimed at fortifying political parties’ structures, enhancing the capacity of party leaders, promoting internal democracy in party administration, particularly in candidate nominations for elections, and leadership transitions in compliance with their constitutions.
“This approach will significantly reduce crises, factions, and litigations within political parties,” he added.
Furthermore, he called for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission to prosecute electoral wrongdoers as a means of deterring others from committing similar offenses against the nation.
IPAC also advocated for the autonomy of local governments as the primary tier of government closest to the people.
“It is evident that politics is most effective at the local level. Citizens should be encouraged to actively engage in grassroots politics as a means of enhancing democracy in Nigeria.”
IPAC is also pushing for the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), citing the excessive influence of state governors, which compromises the independence of these commissions nationwide. The flawed elections conducted by SIECs undermine the democratic process and hinder the growth of political parties without government backing, despite having grassroots support.
“We will submit a comprehensive proposal for Constitutional and Electoral Act Amendments to the National Assembly for review and potential inclusion in the ongoing legislative process.”
By: Nwakaji Peace Martins
