₦airaland Forum

Political Parties Are The Biggest Reason Nigeria Cannot Get Better

Nigeria’s political parties are the biggest reason why the country cannot truly get better. They have turned democracy into a business investment instead of a system for public service. The outrageous cost of nomination forms has made it almost impossible for honest and competent Nigerians to participate in leadership unless they are backed by godfathers or massive wealth.

The reality is simple: there is no way a politician who spends ₦100 million on a presidential form will enter office without the intention of recovering that money.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) sold its presidential nomination form for about ₦100 million. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fixed its own at around ₦40 million, while the Action Democratic Party (ADP) reportedly charged ₦90 million for its presidential form. Governorship forms in many parties also cost tens of millions of naira.

Now let us do the maths.

If the Nigerian president officially earns around ₦1.7 million monthly, then over 48 months — which is four years in office — the total comes to:

1.7 million X 48 = 81.6 million naira

That means the president’s entire four-year official salary would be about ₦81.6 million.

So how does someone buy a presidential nomination form for ₦90 million or ₦100 million when the total official salary for four years in office does not even cover the cost of the form?

What exactly are Nigerians expected to believe?

No sensible businessman invests ₦100 million into a venture knowing fully well that the official return is less than the investment. It simply does not happen. Politics in Nigeria has become an investment scheme, and public office has become the return on investment.

This is why corruption remains deeply rooted in the system. Before elections even begin, politicians are already financially trapped. After winning office, the pressure to recover campaign expenses, settle sponsors, reward political allies, and prepare for the next election begins immediately. The result is inflated contracts, looting of public funds, abandoned projects, and endless suffering for ordinary Nigerians.

Political parties are directly responsible for creating this toxic system. They have commercialized leadership and turned elections into auctions for the highest bidder. Instead of encouraging competence, ideas, patriotism, and service, they reward wealth, political connections, and financial power.

An honest teacher, professor, doctor, activist, or young reformer cannot afford ₦40 million or ₦100 million forms. Even successful professionals would struggle to justify such reckless spending. So the system naturally filters out genuine people and favors those who already see politics as a money-making enterprise.

And then Nigerians act surprised when politicians steal.

The harsh truth is that political parties are one of the biggest obstacles to Nigeria’s progress. By making politics ridiculously expensive, they have built a system that practically encourages corruption before anyone even enters office. A country cannot improve when leadership positions are sold to the highest bidder.

Until political parties stop treating nomination forms like a business venture, Nigeria will continue producing leaders who see public office not as service to the people, but as an opportunity to recover investments and make profit.

The truth is that Nigeria is not getting any better and has never got better for the past 10 years. Political party or not, Nigerians are evil people

If you ever put Bulaba and integrity in a sentence before, you need mental check up

Not only them, including European slave master

Point of correction, the people are the reason why Nigeria can never get better

Too many evil people in the country, especially those in high places and you expect a better country?

Yes i agree...bunch of selfish people

Dey blame party. These are sponsored post by Tinubu apc agent to force voter apathy coz they see that the people are flocking to NDC now. Lets know their tactics.

Nigeria has never been a country naaa, it has been a business empire

When they dont want parties to do the right thing they will want to push the narrative that parties are tbe problem. These apc sponsored agents are being paid to spread lies and deceit. Party is not the problem APC and its evil agents are the problem

omoredia:
Dey blame party. These are sponsored post by Tinubu apc agent to force voter apathy coz they see that the people are flocking to NDC now. Lets know their tactics.

which people are flooding NDC?

U people will learn d hard way again

Counterigbolies:
which people are flooding NDC?

U people will learn d hard way again

Leave them. As long as party is changed for failing the leaders will learn that failure will not be rewarded. Thats what it should be

Not correct.

The failure of citizens to devote a certain portion of their own time, talents and other resources to different areas of the political and governance processes, is the biggest reason why we can’t get better. No more no less.

How much money, time and talents do you personally contribute to the political process and governance advocacy without expecting any direct benefit to yourself? What of your own friends and relatives? How much do they contribute to these things?

anonimi:
“The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, he doesn’t hear, doesn’t speak, nor participates in the political events.

He doesn’t know the cost of life, the price of the bean, of the fish, of the flour, of the rent, of the shoes and of the medicine, all depends on political decisions. The political illiterate is so stupid that he is proud and swells his chest saying that he hates politics.

The slowpoke doesn’t know that, from his political ignorance is born the prostitute, the abandoned child, and the worst thieves of all, the bad politician, corrupted and flunky of the national and multinational companies.”

― Bertolt Brecht

Despite the hype around 2023 elections even with Obi on the ballot, how do you explain that only 10% of our population voted

Racoon:
The ranking placed Nigeria in 186th position, only after Haiti, among 187 countries of the world. Nigeria is the second country in the world with the lowest voter turnout, worse than war-ravaged Afghanistan and Libya, a new ranking by Picodi has shown.

The ranking placed Nigeria in 186th position, only after Haiti, among 187 countries of the world. Nigeria also ranked worst in Africa. Nigeria’s low voter turnout

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how Nigeria recorded a new low in voter turnout during the last general elections. With a national turnout of 29 per cent, a Premium Times analysis showed that the last election had the lowest participation rate in the country’s six decades of independence.

It further revealed that of the 93.4 million registered voters this year, 87.2 million people collected their Permanent Voters Card and the total number of actual voters on election day was only 24.9 million..The winner of the election, Bola Tinubu, had less than nine million votes, roughly 10 per cent of the total eligible voters.

Another analysis by this newspaper revealed that all the 18 candidates in Nigeria’s February elections received only 27.55 per cent of the total eligible votes.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/634921-voter-turnout-nigeria-ranks-worlds-second-worst-nation-report.html?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

I don't think it's political party, it's because of lack of formulated political ideology that's causing this issue that's what led to political prostitution of our politicians

why is Atiku 's siggy having Ahmed in it?

Gbam...yes... This observation is very correct

I think it is more of religion than political parties holding Nigeria back

anonimi:
Not correct.

The failure of citizens to devote a certain portion of their own time, talents and other resources to different areas of the political and governance processes, is the biggest reason why we can’t get better. No more no less.

How much money, time and talents do you personally contribute to the political process and governance advocacy without expecting any direct benefit to yourself? What of your own friends and relatives? How much do they contribute to these things?



Despite the hype around 2023 elections even with Obi on the ballot, how do you explain that only 10% of our population voted

You've said it all instead of blaming political parties, we all should blame ourselves.
I feel Nigerians don't sincerely want a change, they complain simply because they are not in power. As soon as they are in office the story change, so their complain is about the struggle to get to power.

The basic reason why fees for forms are higher, as someone else pointed out on this site...is simple. Nigerians do not want to pay party fees.

In saner climes, you join a party, you pay fees. Fees are there to help the party with running costs, especially during elections. Because while the candidate may raise some funds, he still needs the help of the party.

But the thing that annoys me about Nigerians is, anytime anyone says that they should join a party and pay fees like even N2000 monthly, people will complain about poverty.

Well, the result is parties charge heavily for political office contesting forms then in lieu of fees. What the eff do you expect.?

Even then, people like Tinubu and Obi and Atiku can afford to pay for the thing without breaking a sweat. The reason for our underdevelopment and corruption lies in our sharing the money economy, not in how much someone pays for forms.


Modified

I mean, in the UK, parties there rely on fees because elections can happen anytime , as an example, and the party cannot rely on its rich donors having spare cash to give them in emergency for operational costs re election..so fees...which provide back up cash to be ready for any time early elections would be called (Like right now, re Labour and Starmer).

Why are the forms so freaking expensive...?


So an average person with the interest of the nation and nation building at heart cannot pick up a party form to contest. And you Wonder why we have such limited skewed and no good candidates to pick from.


Political office is now only for the rich. Inec, the national assembly must do something to regulate this.


It's very restricting for our democracy!

Political parties are founded just to make money, no ideology, no love or empathy for the people, no desire to make a difference. You can see this in the way they behave during elections and how they behave when in office. Buying Rolls-Royce, giving billions to political pawns, channeling grants and contracts to their sycophants and political jobbers partners. Our political class and parties is the lowest in the world, filled with people that entered politics to make money.

It is not in the best interest of any group to spend money, time and effort to purchase something and then equally share it with people who didnt contribute anything.

Most of what we call 'corruption' here is simply called 'lobbying' in civilized climates.

To fight corruption more Nigerians must participate in political process.

The money used for the purchase of nomination forms are mostly voluntary contributions from supporters.


Obviously, the return on political investment is N80million accrued salaries over a period of 8 years - so what's so cool about N80million if they have to spend approximately that same amount to receive that same amount?


It's probably just about the service to the people than for the money.

omoredia:
Dey blame party. These are sponsored post by Tinubu apc agent to force voter apathy coz they see that the people are flocking to NDC now. Lets know their tactics.

I agree,

they say political parties are the problem . So let's have only one party. Evil doctrine.

Political parties or politicians

All parties are innocent

I don’t care. I don japa for mind, na my body remain.

Good analysis. Low participation in politics.