PARTY’S INTERNAL DEMOCRACY AND EMERGENCE OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES OF PDP AND APC (2014 AND 2018)

Abstract

In every society, the level at which development is engendered to some extent depends largely on the mode of organization of that society and the system of governance. Nigeria returned to a democratically elected system of governance in 1999 after a protracted military rule. Since then, the country has had a series of elections, and candidates emerged from the political party platform. This study examined the internal democracy in both APC and PDP as well as how presidential candidates in APC and PDP emerged in the buildup for the 2015 and 2019 general elections. While adopting a secondary source of data collection, the study discovered that the 2014 and 2018 presidential primaries through which presidential candidates of PDP and APC emerged were not free and failed. The reports indicate that other factors facilitated the emergence of those candidates such as vote-buying and the power of incumbency as well as the position of president as a party leader. The study recommends that activities of both parties be liberated to accommodate all party members and that members should be made equal whether rich or poor. This would in long run facilitate the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria.