Political Parties and National Integration: An Assessment of the Nigerian State since Independence

Abstract

The role of political parties in integrating divided and plural societies cannot be overemphasized. This lies on its ability to unite the ruled and the rulers and also to incorporate all the diverse segments of the society for national development. Since modern state institutions alone cannot promote national integration, political parties are therefore seen as the fulcrum for democratic sustenance, nation-building and vehicle for national cohesion. The crux of this paper is to interrogate how political parties in Nigeria since independence have fared in building a cohesive and indivisible nation-state. The paper argues that political parties, in spite of their over ninety years of existence in Nigeria, are yet to play adequate role in integrating the nation. Rather, the poor performance and ethnic inclinations of the parties have culminated in bad governance disunity of the country. The paper thus suggests a restructuring of Nigeria‟s political parties within the confines of genuine democratic norms, to ensure national integration, stable democracy and sustainable development