How Candidate Imposition, Godfatherism, and Monetised Politics Distorted a Borrowed Democratic Model

 

By Abioye Tosin Lawrence

.....loyalty trumps popularity, obedience outweighs competence

Nigeria loves to borrow. We borrow constitutions, borrow terminologies, borrow democratic rituals, and then proceed to use them in ways their original architects would hardly recognise. One of such borrowings is the primary election system, lifted almost ceremonially from the United States. Sadly, while Nigeria copied the process, it abandoned the principles that give the process meaning.

In theory, primaries are meant to be the soul of party democracy. In practice, Nigeria has turned them into political theatre, expensive rehearsals for decisions already taken elsewhere.

Primaries Without Choice

In the United States, even the most dominant political figures are not immune to internal contest. Donald Trump, despite his towering influence and loyal base, still faced credible challengers such as Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy within the Republican Party. The process was noisy, sometimes chaotic, but unmistakably competitive. That competition did not weaken the GOP; it strengthened its legitimacy.

Nigeria copied the word “primaries” but forgot to copy competition.

Here, primaries often begin and end with one whispered sentence: “The leader has decided.” Delegates are assembled not to choose, but to ratify. Ballots are printed not to count votes, but to confer legitimacy on imposition. Results are announced not from polling units, but from private residences and hotel rooms.

Godfathers as Electoral Returning Officers

Perhaps the most creative Nigerian innovation is the transformation of godfathers into unofficial electoral umpires. While the U.S. relies on party members and voters, Nigeria relies on power brokers men (and occasionally women) who neither appear on ballots nor wear party tags, yet determine outcomes with frightening efficiency.

In this system, loyalty trumps popularity, obedience outweighs competence, and money often speaks louder than ideology. Aspirants are advised, sometimes politely.

Abioye Tosin Lawrence is the publisher of Oriontimes Online Newspaper and author of Voices From The Fire: My Journey Through a Hollow Empire