In every political business cycle and prior to general elections, political parties hold the event of choosing their standard-bearers against other parties and interests in the electoral contest. It is called party primary elections because it precedes the main election. When members of political parties in Nigeria gather for party primaries, especially for presidential elections, they do more than party activities. It is a party event as it is an exercise in ethnic balancing, cultural balancing and geopolitical balancing. It is usually a political deal in which representativeness is sought for the diversity of constitutive cultural groups in Nigeria. Thus, party primaries are generally a test of the political sagacity of parties and politicians in understanding the fragile unity of Nigeria, given the deep divisions among the diverse groups in the country. Their candidate selection is expected to balance asymmetries in the various points of the country’s fault lines.
In this edition of Nextier SPD Policy Weekly, we explore the connectedness of party primary elections to national unity, peace and stability.
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