The Crisis of Credibility in Party Primaries

Democracy begins long before Election Day. It starts within political parties, where candidates are chosen through processes expected to reflect fairness, transparency and the will of members. When these internal mechanisms lose credibility, the integrity of the entire democratic system is called into question. Recent controversies surrounding party primaries and membership-driven elections have once again exposed a troubling weakness in Nigeria’s political culture: the persistent inability, or unwillingness, of some parties to conduct transparent and believable internal elections.

The issue is not merely about who wins or loses. It is about public confidence in the numbers being announced. In several instances, parties have declared vote totals that immediately raised eyebrows among observers and even some members. The figures often appear disconnected from verifiable participation, creating the impression that numbers are being manufactured to support predetermined outcomes rather than emerging from a transparent counting process.

Political parties are expected to know their membership strength. They are expected to maintain accurate registers and conduct orderly voting exercises. Yet, controversies frequently arise over voter accreditation, delegate lists and final tallies. If a party struggles to credibly account for its own members during an internal election, how can it convincingly present itself as a custodian of democratic values?

The danger extends beyond party politics. Nigerians already contend with widespread scepticism toward public institutions. Every questionable primary election deepens the belief that electoral outcomes are often decided before votes are cast. Such perceptions weaken citizen engagement and reinforce political apathy, especially among young people who increasingly view politics as a game controlled by insiders rather than a contest governed by rules.

Internal party democracy is not a ceremonial exercise. It is the foundation upon which credible governance is built. Candidates who emerge from opaque processes carry legitimacy deficits into the wider electoral arena. Parties that tolerate dubious counting methods undermine their own moral authority to demand transparency from electoral bodies and public institutions.

Political organisations must therefore embrace reforms that make internal elections more transparent. Membership registers should be regularly audited and made accessible to relevant stakeholders. Accreditation procedures should be verifiable. Results should be traceable to actual participation, and party members should have confidence that every announced figure corresponds to a real vote cast.

The credibility crisis in party primaries may appear to be an internal affair, but its consequences are national. Democracy cannot thrive where numbers are treated as political tools rather than factual records. Before political parties can ask Nigerians to trust them with the nation’s future, they must first demonstrate that they can conduct their own affairs with honesty, accuracy and transparency. The health of Nigeria’s democracy depends not only on credible general elections but also on credible primaries. A political system that cannot convincingly count its own members risks losing the confidence of the citizens it seeks to govern.