Govs ‘killed’ parties’ internal democracy for 20 years – Na’Abba, ex-Speaker
PanNigerianNews
2 min read
By Sunday ADEPOJU
A former speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba, on Sunday, posited that governors constitute the clog in Nigeria’s political parties’ bid to have internal democracy, decrying that the menace has affected the political system of the polity since the return to democracy in 1999.
Na’Abba, who was the Speaker in the Fourth Republic, said this while featuring on a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme, “Reflection”, monitored by PANNIGERIAN NEWS.
He lamented that lack of internal democracy in major political parties has put a setback to politics and governance in Nigeria with the addendum that political parties’ primaries have always put aspirants at the mercy of the governors.
Emphasising that the governors had seized powers from the masses in the last two decades, Na’Abba said, “From 2003, political parties have been hijacked and politics has been taken away from the people to government houses. Except if you are in the good books of the governors or a particular president, you can never be anything because the delegates belong to them.
“They have obliterated the idea of elections within the parties. In fact, there is no more internal democracy. But we are doing our best to see that these things are corrected.
“It has not been easy because in the last 20 years, politics has been taken over governors. What we are supposed to have today is revolution of knowledge because of what democracy has a potential to do.
“Our governors have refused to allow people enjoy the potentiality. So, there has been a revolution in political literacy. When we are in democracy, we keep learning. But unfortunately, our people have not learnt anything.”
The Kano-born politician, who is of Mallam Aminu Kanu’s school of thought, explained that healthy political parties would enhance development most sectors of the nation’s economy.
“If political parties are not healthy, there is no way the politics, economy and other sectors will witness development. The strength of the political system can be gauged in the way and manner in which the political parties are organised. And nobody can tell us that our political parties are being run well,” he added.
