party politics/ manifestoes

Research in Business and Management Vol.1(2), pp. 54-61 , August, 2012
Available online at http://www.resjournals.com/RBM
ISSN: 2026-6804 ©2012 International Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Party System, Democratization and National
Development in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: An
Appraisal of the Interconnections
Dhikru Adewale Yagboyaju
Department of Political Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
E-mail: [e-mail].
Abstract

The party system, obviously an integral part of democracy and the developmental process of any country, which embraces the liberal form of democracy, seems not to have attracted sufficient attention from political actors as well as academic researchers since 1999 when civil rule returned to Nigeria. In view of this, and particularly the usefulness of the parts system in the determination as to whether democracy deserves the kind of concerted and conscious efforts needed to put it in place, this study becomes necessary. In the light of this, the paper shall attempt a critical appraisal of the party system in Nigeria’s thirteen-year old fledging democracy. In what ways, for instance, have the formation, operation and the funding of the activities of the major political parties affected democratic consolidation and overall development in Nigeria since 1999? What about inter and intra-party relationships as well as their effects on the country’s political processes? Of what effects were the country’s experience with prolonged military rule and the probable “hang-over” of elements of military mentality even after more than a decade of democratization? In attempting to proffer answers and explanations, the paper shall adopt a historical, descriptive and analytical research methodology. It adopts an eclectic framework of analysis, which combines several explanations on the effects of state malformation, structural imbalance and materialist contradictions on the success of

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