By: Isa Ahmad
JIGAWA, North-West, Nigeria – The Director of Mumbayya Centre for Political Research Kano North West Nigeria, Professor Haruna Wakili has decried how greed, nepotism, lack of ideology, and cohesion with registered political parties has derailed the progress of the nation’s nascent democracy.
He made the observation in his welcome address on the occasion of 35 years Memorial Lecture in honor of Late Malam Aminu Kano held at the Centre’s auditorium in Kano at the weekend.
Prof Wakili who was optimistic that there will be a change cited an example when political parties exercise sovereignty over its members unlike now where individual personalities maneuvered incompetent candidates to aspire for any given political office, as a result the parties are now being compromised to that individual interest.
“I wonder how money bag politics, lack of principle and ideology with the composition of our political parties, and godfatherism beclouded our political structure and progress, thereby negating our political evolution and development.
“Unless and until these unwholesome trend is being checked and rectify within the context of our political structure before things shall improve.
“Most of our registered political parties lack organization, and cohesion, principle and ideology based within their laid down rules and guidelines as translated in their manifestos.
“How can we witness any meaningful progress with such a devilish trend with our political process?
“Certainly, we can’t continue with this type of mess, there will be change, and it will occur gradually,” he declared.
Most of the papers presented at the lecture were geared towards calling for perspective modification in structure and formation of registered political parties in line with modern trend of political evolution that will transform the system.
It also called for trimming down of the number of political parties from over fifty to a reasonable number that will better political evolution based on the cultural values and norms for a better society.